The Detroit Exploit
by CavyGirl1991
Summary: Ana & Christian meet in an unlikely spot, the Detroit airport, after fate steps in one day bringing them together. A chance meeting will be a day that will change both of their lives forever. What happens when a mysterious man moves in next to Ana? Will she forget about Christian or will that make her think about him even more, leading her to take the leap of a lifetime? A/U, OOC.
1. Prologue

**I don't own FSOG. The only thing that is mine is the idea. Happy Reading!**

 **Prologue Christian POV:**

 **"There's something about you though, and I'm finding it impossible to stay away."- Christian Grey Fifty Shades**

"I'm crazy!" I mutter to myself as I hurry to take out my bright yellow sticky notes and black pen, that Lelia had gotten me when I was in college.

Ana would never want anything to do with me after all, she has a boyfriend, but I have heard how that boyfriend talks to her. He is a piece of shit. I could treat her so much better. She deserves so much more. She deserves the stars, and I know if given the chance I could give to her.

I quickly write my phone number on the pad of paper along with something about finding me when she finally got home. I slap the sticky into the inside front cover of her Romeo and Juliet book and look for her in the long line of people. My eyes are automatically drawn to her. She is pretty even with only maybe two hours of sleep, little to no make-up on. She waves at me, I wave back. Her acknowledgment of me, makes my heart want to leap out of my chest. As she moves her brunette hair behind her ears, she starts looking through her bag. I'm nervous as fuck, walking through the crowd of people over to her, my heart feels like it will explode in my chest as I finally find her, still looking through her bag.

I hear her laugh nervously, as I stand behind her, as she talks to a woman in front of her, but I can't make out what she is saying, I'm too in awe of her. God, she is so short and petite compared to me. I just want to take her in my arms, and I want to protect her from all the evils in this world. But, then I think about Lelia.

Lelia, that woman, the bane of my existence at the moment. This is her last chance to prove herself to me or else I am done with her, she constantly toys with my emotions for her, but then, on the other hand, she is the only girl that I have ever had feelings for. We are comfortable together.

As people start to stare at me, standing behind Ana still, not saying a word like a fool, I say "Here, you left this in your seat." She twists around, giggling with embarrassment. Her hair smells like coconuts, reminding me of warm California days, bringing out a slight smile to my lips, something that I rarely do, but Ana seems to be able to bring a smile to my lips a lot since I met her less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Thanks, C." She smiles as she takes the book from me. "I would have been lost without it on my plane ride." She giggles and her giggles are like music to my ears for some reason.

Last night Ana asked what I was looking forward to doing during R&R, I told her sleep. I lied, after last night, playing cards with her, listening to her talk about her job, then this morning finding her asleep on my chest... I need to get rid of these god for blasted contacts. I should have worn my glasses instead. I need a stiff drink, maybe some whiskey or bourbon, to help lose my memory of the night I spent with Ana for my flight home because I am leaving Ana behind to go home to Lelia instead. Either way, I am beyond fucked!

 **Thoughts? Opinions. Let me know please.**


	2. Ch 1: Fates Collide in Winter Weather

**Chapter 1 Fates Collide in Winter Weather**

 **All characters belong to EL James. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the prologue and a special shoutout to daytonalay and rapunzelclayre for reviewing. Just to clear up any confusion before it even starts, none of these characters are related in this story. Without Further Ado here is an extra long first chapter!**

 **Ana POV:**

"Jose, I'm calling you because my plane is delayed."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know that is what I get for traveling in the middle of winter through the Central part of the U.S. and taking Detroit as a layover. Yup, I know it was a stupid move." I giggle, trying to play off the whole ordeal.

He screams through the phone about how I am stupid, and I didn't think about the consequences. I ignore him. Trying to placate him, I say "Yup Jose, I understand. I'm sorry for not thinking about how it would be an inconvenience to your schedule to have to pick me up at a later time tonight. Once again I am so sorry. Maybe one of your boys can pick me up if it is such a big problem for you."

"We will discuss this lapse of judgment when you get home." He sneers through the phone with a hint of anger in his voice. I roll my eyes, knowing that I have pissed Jose off, but at the same time not caring in the slightest. I play with my headphones wanting to get back to the good mood that I was in before my phone rang.

"Hey, I got to go. I will call you when I know more information about the delay, and when I get onto the plane. See you soon." I say gently trying to soothe him, but wanting desperately to hang up the phone as I think back to a time when things were simpler between Jose and me, trying to remember why I ever liked him to begin with. I can't remember why as of late as my mind takes me back to when I was fifteen years old and homeless.

 _I really did love Jose at first, I really truly did. At the beginning of our relationship, Jose swept me off my feet making me feel like a princess throughout the end of high school and at the beginning of college until one day he didn't. Jose and I met right after my parents were killed in a local attack by the mob, to this day their killer has never had to answer for their deaths. After my parent's deaths, I became numb to the world. I started cutting my wrists, anything to make me feel, until one day, I cut too deep. The pain in my life was too bad for me to deal with. I was bullied in school, and I tried to commit suicide by cutting my wrists because my world had spiraling out of control. My school counselors told me that Mason and I would have to go into foster care because we had no family that had come forward to claim us. That night, Mason found me bleeding out in the bathroom, and had me locked in a psychiatric ward._

 _I was underage only fifteen years old, my records were sealed. After I was released to my step-brother, Mason, who was seventeen at the time, but the courts believed was eighteen, in a few days after we escaped our last foster home because no one wanted to adopt the both of us together, Mason turned eighteen, and the courts stopped looking for us. Mason adapted me. However, we were left on the streets, homeless, with nothing to eat. I was fifteen years old, not going to school, Mason was stealing food, and money from local stores for us to survive._

 _One day, Mason and I were running down the road away from the San Francisco cops, we had just stolen a loaf of bread, and I ran straight into Jose with my worn, torn, dirty clothes. Jose, who looked like a preppy school brat with his ironed khaki pants, button-down shirt, blazer on, navy blue tie, and boat shoes. He glanced down at me with disgust written all over his face when he noticed the police running down the street after Mason and I. "Did you steal something?" He asked with a tone of accusation in his voice._

 _Mason yanked on my arm before I could say a word, Jose grabbed onto me yelling, "Hey, where are you going, and why are the cops after you?" As Mason pulled me behind him, we all ran down the road, as the cop ran down the road after us. Mason pulled all of us into an alley to narrowly avoid being caught by the cops. After the chase, Jose laughed, and said, "That was the most fun I have had in years. My name is Jose! What're your names?"_

 _Mason eyed Jose with curiosity as he said: "This is my sister Ana, and I am Mason."_

 _Jose looked between the both of us as if he was judging both of us at that moment as he said: "Ana, you look familiar, did we use to go to school together?"_

 _I stared at Jose, he did look familiar to me. Maybe we did have a few classes together before I dropped out of school, as I shook my head yes._

 _"My parents are away on business all the time, and I have a big mansion all to myself. You want to come over, maybe get something to eat, sleep in an actual bed."_

 _Before I could even think about what I was doing, I replied: "That sounds amazing." Mason gave me a look of what the hell, are you nuts._

 _From that day forward, Jose and I became friends, something that we never were the first time that I went to school with him. I re-enrolled back into the local high school, and Mason got a job working as an I.T guy fixing computers while taking classes at night to finish his high school education, and then online classes to earn his college degree in computer programing. He started to save money for us to move out, but that day never came. We stayed at Jose's house, his parent's were traveling scientists, who studied monkeys in the rain forest, they were never home, they never knew that Mason and I lived there. They would call, send money, and maybe see Jose twice a year for a few days, and during those times Mason and I were sure to be away from the house. I would stay with Kate, and Mason would sleep in his car that he brought._

 _So junior year in high school, when Jose asked me to be his girlfriend after his team won the state tournament basketball game, I said yes, because I owed my life to Jose. It was the night of our six month anniversary, Jose and I were making out in his car, and he was feeling me up. "I want you, Ana." He whispered into my ear._

 _I shivered at his words, his words having the opposite effect on me. "Jose, I'm not ready to take the next step yet," I whispered as he continued to kiss my neck._

 _He frustratingly replied, "If you love me, then you will take the next step with me! Do you want to continue living in my mansion that my parents pay for, at no cost with your step-brother?"_

 _I felt sick to my stomach at his words, I felt like he was trying to turn me into his prostitute. He reached over and roughly grabbed my breast. In my head, I screamed for him to stop, but my mouth felt sticky, and I couldn't get the words out. "Stop," I whispered as the tears streaked down my face._

 _"Ana, Ana, Ana, I am so disappointed in you." He said with a maniacal grin on his face. "I thought we were getting somewhere. I thought we were making a deal."_

 _"Please Jose, don't do this," I said, as I cried, and thankfully he stopped. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. When I told Mason that night about what had happened with Jose, he wanted to kill him, but I made Mason promise not to because I was in love with Jose. Mason made me promise him that I wouldn't have sex with Jose until I was ready. I agreed to that promise with Mason as we did our secret handshake. After that night, I refused to have sex with Jose, until one day, when he wouldn't take no for an answer any longer. He became controlling, manipulative, and he would threaten Mason. He always wanted to know where I was or who I was with. I had one other male friend in school whose name was Luke, who Jose hated simply because he was a guy. Jose hated when Luke and I would hang out during school with the skater kids, or I would go_ to swim _practice with Luke. He hated that I had friends outside of him. Jose was always very jealous of any male that I was around who wasn't him. Jose and I had some college classes together before he dropped out to become a "bartender". He would carry my books and bag to class all while holding my hand. All the girls on campus were jealous of our romance. They all wanted to date him. He was the star athlete on the basketball team with a full ride to college, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be dating him._

 _One day, a switch snapped, and my guy who was sweet and loving toward me changed for no reason. That was the day that I figured out that Jose wasn't really leaving school to be a pursue his dreams of being a "bartender", but to work in the mob, the same mob that had murdered my parents._

I shake my head as the fog lifts from my mind about how my relationship started with Jose. If only I could go back and warn my younger self about him. I turn my music on, and it pumps through my headphones. A small smile plays on my lips as I think about what I am going to eat for lunch.

I turn, trying to make my way through the concourse, trying to find something healthy to eat which is a hard feat considering that all I see right now is fast food. My head is throbbing slightly from the hang-over, the loud noise of the airport, making the hammer in my head pound harder against my skull. It is right before the holidays so the airport is packed. People keep hitting into me, trying to catch their next plane. Many people are trying to get home, back to their loved ones for the holidays. I am not. Home means back to Jose, back to hell, and back to a man who makes me miserable. I think about the day before I left, how happy I was to be getting to leave Jose for a week, and how miserable Jose made me. As my mind drifts back to the week prior, a familiar song fills my ears bringing me right back to the day that I left to go visit Kate and Elliot.

 _As the music pounded through the speakers of my headphones it pushed me harder, faster. I ran, I could feel my feet hitting the pavement as I tried to escape from the life that I was trapped in. My therapist told me in my last session that I should get out more and socialize, but why should I. I liked being alone with my thoughts and in my own head. I am good for nothing at least that is what I had been told so many times by the man who claimed that he loved me more than I would ever know. If this is love I wanted to know what his hate looked like. I sensed a presence behind me, I picked up the pace as I ran until my lungs felt like they would explode. I wished_ sometimes _that my lungs would collapse then, I would be able to escape that place for good, and I would never have to go back to that place. I could leave him for good. I could stop being a coward like my brain called me all the time for putting up with the crap that I do from him. As I slowed my sprint to a jog, the sweat poured off me as I approached the house in our cute neighborhood, my head snapped behind me when I heard, "Ana!" yelled from behind me, "Wait for me," sarcastically stated._

 _"Jose, hurry your ass up. You run slower than my grandmother did." I yelled back at him jokingly, as I rolled my eyes at him playfully._

 _He laughed, picked up his pace, caught up with me, slung his arm around my waist, pulled me to him, kissed my cheek affectionately. "Caught you. Are you sure you need to go see Kate? I'm going to miss you so much."_

 _I rolled my eyes sarcastically as I said "Yes, I need to go see my bestie. I haven't seen her in over a year, and I miss her like crazy ever since she moved away with Elliot to New York."_

 _"What did I tell you about rolling your eyes missy! It is rude. I know for a fact that your mother raised you better." I rolled my eyes playfully again, smiled at him as I said "Yes, Jose," as I attempted to placate him._

 _The night before I left to visit Kate in New York I was beyond excited to leave that place. Jose yelled up the stairs on his way out to work "Don't forget your winter jacket. There is supposed to be a cold snap this week in New York. I really wish you wouldn't go, that you would change your mind, or wait for me to take you."_

 _Suddenly, he was behind me, holding me. He kissed the top of my head, said: "You sure I can't bribe you with some ice cream or something._

 _I laughed as I said "No ice cream for me." Right, that way you can tell me that I need to lose more weight_ like _you always do? I thought to myself._

 _His eyes darkened as he grabbed my left arm roughly as he said: "Anastasia, you won't be going to New York to see Kate because I won't allow it."_

 _My eyes started to water from the pain in my arm. "Let go you brute. You are hurting me. I am going to New York, no matter what you say. You don't own me."_ I subconsciously rub the spot where the light yellow bruise is hiding under the makeup that I am wearing currently on my arm as I walk, thinking about the interaction between Jose and me that night before I left.

 _I could see his temper starting to fly out of control as he screamed "Over my dead body are you going. You live in my house. You will not be going to see Kate." His grip on my arm tightened as he squeezed and pushed me into the wall._

 _He pushed his body into mine as he sneered "Fine, but don't come crying to me when something bad happens. I need to get to work to support your lazy ass." He let me go roughly as I fell to the floor, and he stormed out of the door to go to his job as a "bartender". The tears started to form in my eyes as the pain began to form in my arm at about the exact same time._

 _I brushed the tears from my eyes as I cleared my mind, and stared down at my right arm, it was already turning an angry color of black and blue, a perfect outline of Jose's handprint. That night I wore long sleeves under my scrub top at work. I got to go to work and pretend that I was living a happy life, one where Jose didn't bruise me or say hurtful words to me. The life that I always pretend that I am living. I wished that I could just leave, but I couldn't. Jose has me trapped. My paycheck from the hospital is deposited into Jose's bank account. He forced me into signing papers at home threatening my step-brother, Mason. He said that if I didn't, he would go to the police, tell them that Mason had stolen money, and food from stores when we were younger after both my parents died. I told Jose all that in confidence. I never thought he would use it against me to keep me with him when I threatened to leave him after the very first time that he grabbed me a little too roughly, leaving marks on my body._

 _As I headed out the door to work, I checked the mailbox as I hoped to find a letter from one of my old friends in high school, Luke, who recently found my address somehow, my heart sank when there was nothing from him. My last thought as I glanced back at the house was, at least I wouldn't have to see him for another week. I dragged my suitcase behind me walking to the hospital because God forbid Ana has a car, has the chance to run away, or go somewhere without Jose. I was halfway to the hospital when my cell phone rang._

 _"Hello?" I answered._

 _"Ana, this is Grace, I just wanted to let you know that we only need you for half of your shift tonight." She said brightly._

 _"Okay," I said trying to sound sad about the fact that I only had to work half of my shift, then hung up happily. I had time to shower and change before I had to leave for the airport. Grace is my boss at the hospital, is somewhat of a friend to me, and she has adopted me as a kid of hers. She told me once that her son doesn't visit very often as he is never around the area. She suspects that something is going on between Jose and me, more than once she has seen the bruises and asked questions. I have always told her that I am just clumsy, tripping over my own two feet. She always just shakes her head, telling me that if I ever need anything, at any time of the day to call her, and she will come to get me. I dropped my crap at my locker, head into the ER to start my shift, hoped that it wasn't one from hell, I smiled because I couldn't show my weakness then everyone would know something was wrong. My father always_ use _to tell Mason and me, "Never let them see your weakness." As I was gathering lab work for a doctor, Grace came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder with a new attending, Dr. Clayton, as she said,"Ana, how is my favorite nurse? "_

 _"Counting down the hours until I get to see my best friend in New York. What can I do for you?"_

 _"Can you show Dr. Clayton around. He is new to our ER, make him feel at home."_

 _"Sure thing." I smiled at her as she left._

 _"So. . . " I began, as I looked at my feet feeling uncomfortable, Dr. Clayton stood there not knowing what to do with himself._

 _"So, who is our first victim?" Clayton smiled as he stared at me obviously._

 _"Room one. He is a very special patient, so when you figure it out come back and let me know what you want to do." I smiled as I moved on to my next patient with an attending that actually knew what to do, one who I didn't have to babysit._

 _Clayton returned a few moments later as he said shaking his head, "That kid is something else, really cute. I need an IV placed, hang a bag of D510 at 80cc per hour. Give IV push 2mg of Zofran, times one for nausea and vomiting. I have also ordered an x-ray and CAT Scan, once those are back, please come and find me. Based on the results we may need to page surgery for a consult."_

 _I smile back at Dr. Clayton and said: "I will get right on that."_

 _The poor little boy in room one looked like he didn't feel well at all. He looked absolutely miserable, it almost made me wish that I could have a baby of my own, but due to my low anemia levels and other things that I can't bear to think of right now. I can't. It broke my heart when he screamed and cried as I placed the IV in his small arm. I took his tiny hand in my hand, rubbed his head as he cried from not feeling well, and as I saw this young patient cry it made me want to cry right along with him. After I hung his IV and gave him the Zofran, I sat with him for a few minutes while his mother left to get some air. The little boy drifted to sleep as I rubbed his head, stared at him, and hummed softly a lullaby. As I made my way to my workstation, I saw a huge bouquet of a dozen red roses with a card._

 _The card was from Jose, it read:_

 _Ana- I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier. I don't know why I let the anger get the best of me again. I am just worried about you traveling across the country without me, but I understand that you miss your friend. I am sorry for saying all those mean things I said to you and for touching you like that. Please forgive me. I promise to never do it again. I didn't mean to let my anger affect me like that. I promise that I will start to seek help for my anger issues. I worry about you all the time even when you are at work. I worry about how much you work. You know that we have enough money for you not to work. Maybe when you come back you will think about quitting your job?_

 _I love you and I will miss you,_

 _Jose_

 _I was shaking with anger by the time that I was done reading his note. How many times has he told me he was going to get help for his anger issues, more times than I could count on one hand. He wanted me to quit my job! A job that I loved, what the hell! I picked up the vase of pretty red roses and walked off to the break room, threw them into the trash. I felt a small victory as I saw the roses in the trash, I headed back out and finished my half of the shift. I showered, changed into regular clothes, and caught a cab to the airport._

People bumping into me bring me out of my thoughts of Jose and his craziness at home the week before, making me wonder, how I am going to deal with it when I get home. I stare at all the travelers as I stand there not knowing where I am going in this place. The airport is booming with travelers, with people trying to reach their final destination in time. There are many military men and women in uniforms. I can't help but stare at some of their dress uniforms. _There must be a military base nearby, I think to myself. A man in a uniform is wonderful eye candy._ I make a game with myself to try to guess what branch each uniform belongs to. To try to pass the time while I am walking, my eyes getting lost in the sea of uniforms, I give up my search for healthy food, I am to the point of starving, my stomach growling loudly.

As I round the corner, I see a place that looks halfway decent in sight. The smell coming from the place makes my mouth water. As I am crossing over the walkway, insight of my destination, my eyes locked on the sign of the restaurant. I collide into something hard, and I am suddenly knocked onto my butt by a wall of hard muscle. Suddenly, a hand shoots down reaching to me. I look up, and I am met with dark gray eyes staring back at me that causes me to lose my breath. This guy is the epitome of male beauty. "I'm sorry ma'am." says the stern voice.

I grab his hand and get myself off the floor. He picks up my bag from the ground, and I take in his appearance. He is tall, lean, muscular, probably around six feet tall and one hundred and seventy pounds, has dark copper-colored hair that is cut in a short Ivy League cut with his hair tapered on the sides and back, and he is wearing fatigues. He has slightly chapped lips with a full bottom lip, his nose is slightly crooked going to the right, and he looks to be nothing, but muscle from years of hard athletic training probably running. I blush just from staring at him and I begin to imagine how his hands, that are thin and large with long narrow fingers, would feel in mine, how his body would feel against mine, and at that moment, I develop a crush on my mystery man, who knocked me flat on my butt. I can't tell what branch of the military he is in, all the uniforms are starting to look the same to me. As he is handing me back my book bag, our fingers collide. I feel an electric zap run down my spine that sends goosebumps down my arms as I pull my fingers away, and sling the bag over my shoulder.

"Thanks. Sorry I ran into you. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was too busy letting my stomach guide me to food" I say, giggling as I feel my cheeks turning red.

"No ma'am, I should have been paying better attention to where I was going." He says smiling slightly at me. "Perhaps, I can make it up to you by buying you lunch since I knocked you down?"

"I'm good, thanks." I smile as my stomach rumbles once again, reminding me that I am still hungry.

"I hope you have a good trip." He says as he picks up his bag from the ground that he had dropped, walks down the walkway, and I continue to stare at him, blinking, dazed, and confused. _Well, that was interesting_.

After being bumped by another woman, who shoots me a dirty look, I continue on my way to the food court. My butt hurts from the fall, I'm sure there will be a bruise there. Great, I can't wait to have to explain that one to Jose when he finds out. I'm sure he will have all sorts of kind words for me. I finally make it to the restaurant called SIP, and I order myself a salad with chicken on top. I eat in silence, absorbed in my own thoughts, thinking about the mystery man, wondering what kind of awkward conversations we would be having if I allowed him to join me for lunch. I rummage through my bag looking for my book, the one that I knew I had with me. I must have dropped it when I bumped into mystery man. "Shit! I can't believe I lost my book and my plane ticket! Now I am going to have to figure out how to get another one." I mutter to myself as my phone ringing brings me out of emptying the contents of my bag onto the table.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey girly!" says the voice on the other end which I recognize to be Kate.

"Hey!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm stuck in Detroit. My plane was delayed, and I will be here for the next few hours." I sigh

"Well, at least that is a few more hours away from Jose." She says happily.

"Yeah, that's a plus. Although I know there will be consequences when I get home from this, even though it isn't my fault because I can't control the weather." I say, sadly.

"I told you, Ana, you need to leave him. I should never have allowed you to get on that plane. I should have kept you here with me and Elliot as our hostage. Jose is no good for you. He doesn't deserve you."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't leave him."

Kate cuts in as she says, "Yes, I know what you are going to say next. You always say the same thing, and for reasons you can't tell me, you can't leave him."

"That's right," I say, still feeling sad. Kate quickly changes the direction of our conversation when she senses my dark mood. "Any good eye candy at the airport? Any cute military guys? Better yet any cute guys in general?" She asks cheerfully.

"I heard that!" Elliot yells through the phone as I giggle.

"Maybe," I say coyly as my mind snaps back to mystery man.

"Take a picture for me."

"I can't do that! Plus what would Elliot say? Didn't you just agree to marry him while I was there visiting you both."

"It would teach him to pick up his nasty uniforms, and to maybe start helping with the laundry more." She says laughing the last part. "Well good for you honey. It never hurt anyone to look. Anyways, I just wanted to see how you were doing, and where you were on your trip. I have to go, unfortunately. I have a business call to make with Paris."

"Okay. Bye Katie." I say.

"Bye Ana Banana." Kate sings as she hangs up the phone.

My mind drifts back to my visit with Kate and Elliot, how happy I was that week in New York, and when I first got off that jet plane from California.

 _The grogginess from the plane ride wore off as soon as I saw an excited, blonde-haired, green-eyed, Kate who was jumping up and down. "Ana! Ana! Ana!" She squealed from the gate by security. I giggled, ran to her, and hugged her like crazy._

 _"I missed you so much. Look at your hair!" I said as I looked at Kate's blonde hair that she recently dyed from Strawberry blonde as Kate and I embraced suddenly I heard behind me a male voice that said: "Okay, you two. Save some for me."_

 _I turned and saw a broad-shouldered, tall, curly, blonde haired male with bright blue eyes that smiled down at me. "Elliot!" I screamed excitedly and launched myself into his arms as I said: "I didn't know that you were home yet!"_

 _"Yup. I just got back from training last night. Kate didn't even know until I was unlocking the front door, and I scared the crap out of her."_

 _Kate smiled at me and said "He almost gave me a heart attack. You ready to head back home. Actually, I mean base. Make sure you have your driver's license on you. You are going to need it to get onto base."_

 _Elliot drove us back to their house which was located where he was stationed at Fort Hamilton, and it was also where Kate was living with him. "So my bestie?" I quipped an eyebrow at her, not knowing what she was going to say next "What would you like to do for your week away from the devil himself."_

 _"Kate, you know that I have no other choice. I am stuck with Jose." I said halfheartedly to Kate as I glanced at Elliot and hoped that he would save me._

 _"Ana, I love you like a sister. Hell, we have been friends since we were in kindergarten. You need to get away from him. You could start fresh, and you could start a new life out here. You are more than welcome to stay with Elliot and me for as long as you needed." I wished it were that easy, but Jose would come and drag me home, I knew he would._

 _"Thanks for the offer, but a part of me does love the idiot," I said as I smiled at her as I felt the bile rise up my throat. Plus, I couldn't. He would hurt Mason, I thought to myself. I could never reveal that to anyone for as long as I lived. Once we got to the house, Elliot jumped out of the car, and yelled: "The last one in is a rotten egg and has to do dishes for the whole week."_

 _I raced out of the car, ran into the house, with Elliot hot on my heels. Elliot quickly locked the door behind us, as he grinned, and said: "Okay girls, let's play Mario Cart Racing, because Ana, I still owe you an ass kicking from the last time I saw you."_

 _I shot Elliot a wink, and asked, "What's the matter, Elliot? Are you scared of being beaten by a girl again?"_

 _He laughed, and said: "Not a chance!"_

 _The week in New York was spent with Kate, who showed me her newest fashion articles for_ the spring _edition of her magazine. Designers from all around the world desired to be featured in her spreads. Kate is famous in the fashion world. She is an editor for a huge fashion magazine company in New York. I am proud to call her my best friend. The majority of our week consisted of her playing dress up with me. I pretended to hate it, but really, I loved watching her face light up when she saw her favorite designers' designs come to life on my body. "Ana, you look beautiful. You could be a model for my magazine." She sang as she saw me come down the stairs in one of her pink glittery cocktail dresses. Elliot was in and out during the week doing his Army job._

 _"Elliot," I replied finding him one night while Kate was getting ready._

 _"Yes." He asked as he eyed me with suspicion, as I walked into his gaming den, as he played some shooting game. "What is it exactly that you do in the Army?"_

 _He smiled like he had won the lottery as he said: "That is classified."_

 _"And why can't you tell Kate or me what it is exactly what you do in the Army," I asked, pushed him again because I wanted to know what he really did in the Army._

 _Elliot smirked at me as he said: "Because if I did tell you, Ana, then I would have to shoot you right after I told you. And you are one of my best friends. I would absolutely hate to have to kill you just because you found out what I did in the Army. Not to mention Kate wouldn't be too happy with me killing her best friend." He winked at me, blew a bubble with his gum as he walked by me out the door of the den, as he left me standing there with my jaw on the floor._

 _Kate smiled as she saw me as she said, "There you are, I was looking for you everywhere. Don't feel bad Ana. He told me the same exact thing when we first started dating again. I said he was a superhero, that he was Batman. That is why he takes off all the time with only a note to tell me not to worry, and that he will be back as soon as he can."_

 _"Yeah, but Elliot is one of my best guy friends. We have known each other for years, even before you two got together. I thought he would tell me what he did in the Army."_

 _"It's because he is Batman. He can't reveal that secret. It would put national security at risk." She whispered to me as I laughed with her. "Now come with me. I want to go get pedicures in town."_

 _On my last day in New York, Kate, Elliot, and I all go out to dance at a local bar. Kate dressed me in a new dress that she stole from work which is suppose to be used for a photo shoot next week. The dress was a cornflower blue, sleeveless. It was simple, short, chiffon fabric with ruching on the top. Just the thing I could see myself wearing if I wanted to go out and have a good time, but what made me love it, even more, was that I knew that Jose would hate it. Kate paired it with silver heels that were designed by Oscar de la Renta each had a small bow along the ankle. They were cute, but I couldn't walk in them to save my life. I tripped and fell several times on the way down the road. Elliot had to save me as I stumbled forward as I giggled with the embarrassment of almost falling._

 _Kate did my dull brunette hair into an up-do, she left some curls draping out of the back. For my makeup, she applied a light golden color to my lids with a tint of color to my lips. When I turned to look at myself in the mirror, I no longer felt like the sad girl who can't leave her relationship with Jose. I felt strong and confident. I felt like a woman, I was amazed at how a little bit of makeup could make me feel. Kate wore a very short tight red spaghetti straps dress with black chunky over the knee boots. She left her shoulder length blonde hair down and curled. For makeup, she applied a slightly smokey eye with a shiny pink lip gloss for her lips. Elliot whistled when he saw her, I could tell just from when I looked at him how much he was in love with her. I giggled as I watched her blush from his whistles. "El, stop you are embarrassing me." She said as she buried her face in her hands._

 _"I can't help it. I'm in love with my gorgeous fiance." He winked at her._

 _"Fiance?" I asked as I caught on to the word slip. "Katherine Kavanagh, Is there something you forgot to tell me?" I asked excitedly._

 _"Perhaps." She said coyly. "Elliot and I were going to wait to tell you, but he sort of proposed last night."_

 _I squealed, jumped up, and down. "Yay! I'm so happy for you. You both have been together forever. I know you will rock this marriage thing. Wait, what do you mean sort of?"_

 _Kate blushed as Elliot said "Thanks, Kate is crazy. Of course, I proposed last night, she just still couldn't believe that I asked finally. We just wish that you didn't have to leave, and go back to Jose tomorrow. Are you sure we can't convince you to stay longer?"_

 _I giggled and said: "I can't. I have to get back to the ER so let's make the most of tonight."_

 _Kate dragged me out to the dance floor with orders for Elliot to find some single young Army friends of his to come dance and romance me. Kate is forever trying to get me away from Jose, and as I was dancing with Kate, I couldn't help, but think about Jose and how our relationship began when I saw a young couple dancing in the club affectionately as my mind began to wander as I thought about how a relationship that started off good turned bad._

 _"Earth to Ana!" Kate squealed into my ear, drawing me out of my memory. "Hottie at six o'clock, and he is completely checking you out."_

 _I smiled and said, "My six or yours" as I attempted to play this game with her._

 _"Mine of course." I glanced behind me because heck, what can Jose do to me since I am on the East Coast? The dirty blonde hair man, with suntanned skin, smiled at me as he walked up to me like he knew me like I was his best friend. "Hey, beautiful. What's a girl like you doing in a craptastic place like this?"_

 _I giggled, blushed, unsure what to say to this gorgeous guy. "This is Kate, I'm Ana, and we are here to dance. Maybe to drink a little, although her fiance might have a little say about that."_

 _Suddenly I heard behind me "Ethan, you causing my girl, and one of my best friends in the world trouble."_

 _"Absolutely not El." Ethan said as he winked at me "Ana and I were just talking about dancing, and she agreed to dance with me for the next few songs."_

 _"I did no such thing." I laughed._

 _"You wound me." Ethan mimicked being stabbed with a knife in the gut._

 _"I did not," I said as I roll my eyes at him._

 _"Yes, you did."_

 _"How?" I asked as I eyed and smiled at this beautiful man._

 _"My pride." He winked at me again._

 _I giggled as I said: "Well first off you didn't even ask me."_

 _"Fine Miss Ana, will you dance with me?" He asked with a fake Southern accent._

 _I placed my index finger on my lips and pondered the question as I smiled at him as I already knew the answer to his question. Ethan was good looking, he was muscular, with green eyes, short dirty blonde hair, and skin that was tanned from being out in the sun for too long. "I guess."_

 _Ethan pretended to wipe the sweat from his brow and said: "I was sweating, waiting for your answer."_

 _As he led me over to the dance floor, Elliot yelled: "Hey Ethan, isn't Mia going to get jealous of you dancing out here with someone else."_

 _He winked at me as he said "That's the point. It makes for the great makeup sex. You and Katie should try it some time."_

 _Wait, what? I thought to myself confused. He spun me around and back into his chest as I almost lost balance with those stupid heels. About three dances in a girl with raven colored hair and brown eyes bounced up and smiled flirtatiously while she whispered into his ear. Ethan turned to me and said "Ana, this is my wife, Mia. It was lovely to meet you, but we must be going now."_

 _He yanked her off the dance floor, and out the door of the bar as she laughed. "Well, that was interesting" I grumbled._

 _Kate bounced over to me, and she explained how Ethan and Mia liked to play a game called who can make who jealous first. That was what their date night consisted of._

 _"How weird." I giggled as she handed me another Cosmo._

 _"Whatever floats their boats. Come dance with Elliot and me." She said as she grabbed my hand, pulled me to the middle of the room where Elliot stood waiting for her with his beer._

 _So I did, I danced with Kate and Elliot for the rest of the night. At exactly ten o'clock, my phone rang. It was Jose checking in to see where I was, and if I was home. He ordered me to go home right away, which I told him no. I could hear the anger in his voice as he said "Don't forget, you are coming home tomorrow. You will have to deal with me."_

 _"Okay Jose, I'll leave right now," I said as I hung up the phone with no intention of leaving the club until Elliot and Kate did._

"Are you done with that?" Asks the friendly voice of the elderly lady attempting to clean the tables looking at me with a dish rag that she held in her hand. "Huh?" I ask, coming out of my memory from my week with Kate and Elliot. "Are you done with that my dear?"

"Oh no," I say as I go back to finishing my meal, then go look at the departure board only to find that my flight that was two hours delayed is now six hours delayed. I check the gate number for the flight, of course, it is the gate that is the furthest away in the concourse. I slowly begin my long walk to the gate, since I have nowhere fast to be except to find out how to get a copy of my ticket. Half an hour later, I reach my gate, and every seat is occupied except for one seat which is next to a man in green military fatigues with a book in the seat next to him. As I make my way closer to him, he looks familiar, and then I recognize him. _Just my luck_. It's the same guy that I ran into, fell on my butt with, and he asked me to lunch because he felt sorry for. I start to turn around. to go sit on the floor, to avoid the embarrassment. When suddenly, the man's head snaps, turning to look my way. "You can sit next to me. There is an empty seat here. That way you don't have to sit on the hard, cold floor." He says as he moves the book, making the seat next to him empty.

I look around thinking that he is talking to someone else. _No one ever talks to me, not if they have to._ "Yes, I'm talking to you." He motions to me as he points to me with his index finger.

I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding, and make my way over to the only empty seat in the area. I secretly hope as I walk over that someone else will take the seat, that way, I can avoid the whole situation. I take an awkward seat next to the man that I ran into. As he hands me my book awkwardly saying "You dropped this when we knocked into each other, and then disappeared before I could find you again after you turned me down about lunch. I figured you would eventually turn up here when I found your plane ticket in the front cover."

"Thanks," I whisper as I take the book from him, open it to the spot that I was at, and attempt to read. Every once in a while, I glance over at the guy to see his hard eyes trained on me, but once his eyes connect with mine, his eyes fly back to his phone in his hands. I go back to reading, but I can still feel his eyes on me, and it makes me uncomfortable. I want to confront him, ask him what his problem with me is, but I chicken out. I have never been the type of person to get into a fight, and he seems intimidating. I feel like he is trying to read me, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don't need someone learning all my secrets especially a stranger. I concentrate harder on reading my book. I am in the middle of an intense scene when I hear a voice say "My name is C. What's your name?"

I turn to see who the guy next to me is talking to when I notice that he is looking at me.

"Huh?" I ask as his posture changes, and he says more slowly like I am slow, "My name is C. What's your name?"

I sit for a second thinking, wondering what C is short for, and wondering why after hours of sitting in complete silence has this C guy finally decide to talk to me. I question if I should answer him, and engage him in conversation. What if he is a trained assassin, after all, he is in the military, he must know how to use a gun. _What if he kills me, takes me hostage? Oh well, at least I will be rid of Jose._ I know Jose would not be happy if he knew that I was talking to another man, but Jose isn't here. He will never know about this. C raises an eyebrow, and says "Is your name a hard one? Maybe foreign?"

It is then that I realize that I haven't told him my name yet, feeling like an idiot. I say, smiling slightly, "My name is Ana."

"Ana, I like it. Well, it is nice to meet you. Where are you traveling from?"

"Didn't you look at my ticket?" I sarcastically ask as he sits there staring at me, not saying a word, waiting for my answer, "New York. I am going back home to California. I stupidly decided to fly through Detroit in the middle of winter." I say, laughing at my own misfortune.

"Oh New York, it is nice there in the winter. I had a friend who used to live out there, but she eventually moved out to California to be with her fiance." He says glancing at me.

"Yeah, the snow is nice, but it is a little too cold for me."

I see C roll his eyes at my statement. He says "You really do sound like a Cali girl. I would rather take the cold and snow over sweating my ass off in the sandbox that we like to call a desert like I have been any day."

I am about to question his remark, but he says abruptly "Can you save my seat for me. I have a few things I need to do."

"Sure." I murmur as he walks away. _What an odd man!_

I go back to reading my book, I read for another half an hour, and C still isn't back yet. I begin to wonder where he went off to. I wonder if he is okay. I twist in my seat to look out the windows only to see the snow falling harder. _Great, more snow!_ Suddenly, an announcement comes over the intercom saying "Please excuse the interruption, but United Flight 3256 departing from gate D9 to San Francisco has been canceled. Please proceed to the ticket counter to make new reservations."

 _Great_ , I think to myself, _Jose is going to flip. This is going to be such a fun phone call to make._ As the announcement ends, C appears smelling like alcohol and smoke. The smell making me think of Jose, making my stomach turn. I push the thought of Jose away from my mind as I turn to him, saying "Well, we are stuck here for the night."

"Yeah. Lucky us." He says with no humor in his voice.

I leave my bag on my chair to save my seat, knowing that I don't have enough money to get a hotel room for the night. I stand in the massive line at the airline counter where the lady tells me that she will try to get me on another plane as soon as possible tomorrow. I am also told that all the hotels in the airport are filled, to make myself comfortable. I make my way back to the chair to send Jose a text, telling him that the flight had been canceled from the snow since I know that he is going to be at work. I also mention that I may have a flight back tomorrow. I'm not going to lie, I'm happy about getting an extra day away from Jose.

"Hey Ana, since we are stuck here together, we may as well make the most of our time together," C says bringing me out of my thoughts of Jose and his reactions to my canceled flight.

"Okay," I say, unsure where he is going with this.

"Do you want to play a card game?" He asks as he pulls a deck of cards out of duffle bag.

"Which one? I don't know many."

"How about you pick one then." He says smiling shyly at me.

"War," I say blushing as soon as the words leave my mouth, _I feel stupid._

He lifts an eyebrow, shaking his head, a smile playing on his lips as he says "War it is, but I must warn you. I am pretty good at that game."

"Oh, you are on." I smile at him, laughing as I say, "When I was younger, I use to kill my step-brother in this game."

C smirks at me as he shuffles the cards. As we are playing the card game that he is killing me in, I ask "So C, where are you traveling from?" Trying to pick up where our conversation left off from. "That's classified. I can't tell you that!" He says winking at me as he throws a card down and taking another one of mine.

My face falls, "Oh."

He starts laughing as he says, "Gee-sh Ana, I was only kidding. I am on my way home from Germany to California. I am on leave for the next two weeks. I am currently deployed to Afghanistan." He says the last part proudly. "Hence the uniform." As he motions to his sage green fatigues.

"Which branch are you in?" I ask quietly, hoping that I'm not overstepping some unknown line.

"Air Force. I'm a Major."

"Wow! That's a high rank, right?" I ask, having no clue about ranks. He shrugs his shoulders and says, "It's decent. But enough about me. What about you?" He looks me dead in the eye.

"There is nothing really exciting about me."

He quips an eyebrow at me and says: "I highly doubt that."

He looks at me like he is trying to uncover all my deep dark secrets, the secrets that I am trying to hide from the world. "My friend Elliot is in the Army, he is Sergeant. He wouldn't tell me what he does in the Army, he told me if he did, he would have to kill me, so my other friend, Kate, calls him Batman They got engaged while I was visiting them in New York." I say, trying to change the subject to Elliot and Kate.

"Oh Yeah. Where is he stationed?" He asks, sounding interested.

"Fort Hamilton with my friend Kate, that is who I was visiting."

"What do you do for work?"

"I'm a nurse in a major hospital in California," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"See something exciting about you, Ana, and you said there was nothing." He says, hitting his shoulder into mine. "What kind of nursing do you do?"

"Emergency Room, ER, pediatrics, is my specialty, I love it. I love the adrenal rush. You never know what type of cases you are going to get. My hospital is part of a level one trauma hospital so all the other hospitals transfer the medically unstable patients to us. We also get a lot of gunshot and car accident victims." I say feeling excited that someone is actually taking interest in my job. "But most of the time, I just see sick kids who have a tummy-ache."

Jose doesn't care or ask about my job. C doesn't say anything. He lets me ramble on about all my favorite aspects of my job, and about how much I love being a nurse. "I'm sorry for talking so much," I say giggling.

"No, it's nice to talk and to listen to someone who loves their job. What book are your reading?" He asks, looking generally interested.

"You didn't look through it and you were carrying it around for how many hours?" I raise my eyebrow at him, wondering if he really is clueless, or if he didn't look through my stuff like Jose normally does at home.

"It wasn't mine. Why would I look through your book? I just opened the front cover when I saw the piece of paper sticking out and saw your plane ticket."

"Romeo and Juliet." I smile, feeling amazed that he didn't go through my book like Jose has.

"What's it about?"

"It's Shakespeare! How have you not read Romeo and Juliet?" I ask, looking at him like he is crazy as he shakes his head no. "You should read it sometime, and find out for yourself," I say joking with him as he grabs my book away from me to start reading it. My phone ringtone for Jose interrupts my thought process.

"Sorry, I have to get this." I say as I glance at the screen "Hello."

"You are in so much trouble!" The voice sneers across the line.

"Jose, I am not able to control the weather."

"Don't use that tone with me." He screams at me, making my ears hurt.

"Bye Jose. I am hanging up the phone now." I say, wanting to hang up the phone on him, not wanting to put up with his attitude. "Don't you dare!" He screams. I click the end button and shut my phone off completely. I toss my phone angrily into my bag, thinking how dare Jose think that he can control me, and get mad at me for something that I have nothing to with. _I hate him_. C looks at me with concern in his eyes as he says, "Ana, I know we just met, but who was that on your phone?"

"My boyfriend," I reply.

"No one deserves to be spoken to like that. Does he always speak to you like that?"

"No." I lie to him, then quickly change the subject off of my relationship with Jose. C and I talk until late in the night. He lets me change the subject off of Jose, and I am grateful.

"So what are your plans now that you are on leave?" I ask.

"Nothing much. I really just want to sleep." He says, smirking at me, "Which this airport isn't helping with that plan at all."

I glance at the clock and say: "It's three in the morning. We should try to get some sleep."

"That sounds good." He says smiling at me as he yawns.

I slump against the chair, close my eyes, put my coat over me, and attempt to sleep. At one point during the night, I feel my head, land on something hard. The bright sun shining through the window wakes me. I am laying on a shoulder or a chest, and I start to panic. _Oh God!_ I look down to see a sandy colored shirt with sage green fatigue pants. I feel a light pressure on my own head. I realize then that C is asleep with his head on mine. He has his arm wrapped around me protectively, possessively, and I am pressed lightly into his side. His side is nothing, but hard, well-defined muscles. This is going to be awkward when he wakes up. I maneuver myself from our current predicament. Lifting my hand from his stomach, then I slowly slide my head out from under his, C wakes with a startle when his head drops. He yawns looking at me. I can only imagine how I look, now that I have slept in an airport all night. "Good morning Ana." He says quietly, yawning.

"Morning C." I am about to ask him how he slept last night, but a voice comes over the intercom, "Will Anastasia Steele, please come to the ticket counter."

I get up, stretch, make my way over to the counter, and notice that even more people are packing into the gate area. The lady informs me that I have a seat on the first plane out of the airport. I walk back to my chair, feeling sad, but I have no clue why. _I knew that I would be sad when my freedom from Jose was finally over, but does my sadness have anything to do with C?_

C turns to me and asks "Good news I hope?"

"Yeah. I got a seat on the next plane to leave here."

"That's great. I'm happy for you."

I stare at C, really stare at him, and make him an offer that I hope he won't refuse. If I played my cards right, I could buy myself more time away from Jose."Do you want my ticket? That way you don't have to spend your whole leave in an airport?" I ask, trying to hand him my ticket.

He stares at the piece of paper like it is on fire as he says, "No Ana. You take the ticket and go home. Thank you for the offer though. I'm sure I will be on another flight shortly."

The voice on the intercom interrupts our conversation as it says "We are now boarding United Flight 7865. Please proceed to the boarding area." I look at my ticket to see that it is mine. "Well, I better get going. That is my flight." I say feeling depressed that my time with C has come to an end. "It was nice to meet you, C. Good luck with everything."

C stands and puts his hand out to me as he says "Nice to meet you too Ana. I'm glad it was you who came and sat next to me." I gather my bag, walk away, not looking back at the man who I crashed into, and I slept on last night. I don't get very far when an elderly woman says "Excuse me, dear."

"Yes."

"I hate to pry, but was that your boyfriend."

"No," I answer, starting to wonder why she is asking.

"Oh because the way he is looking at you. It is the way that a man looks at a woman that he loves. He is giving you the same look that my husband use to give me every day for fifty years. It looked like you two were together. I'm sorry."

I smile as I say: "No, he was just someone that I met yesterday."

I get in line, waiting to board the plane. C catches my eye, and waves at me. I wave back shyly. I look in my bag searching for my book, which is missing once again. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and C is standing there. "Here, you left this in your chair. I didn't want you to lose it again." He says, handing me the book. His fingers gently brush mine, and I realize how soft they are. I wonder what he does in the Air Force, it can't be anything with his hands.

"Thanks," I say as C walks away. When I get onto the plane, I pull out the book to read some more.

I notice a yellow sticky note attached to my bookmark that reads: _Ana- When you get home, give me a call. I can show you how you deserve to be treated. My number is 707-896-9087. -C._

I quickly pull out the note and think about discarding it. Jose would kill me if he knew about C. As nice as C was to me. I am with Jose. C was nice to look at, but it would never work. We are from very different worlds. I am damaged goods, and he seems too nice to deal with my problems. I put my book away, go to sleep, and dream about bright gray eyes.

 **What did you think? So Christian is in the military, for now, doing what, you will just have to wait to see... Anyways, all mistakes military related are mine. I only have very limited knowledge when it comes to the military thanks to a family member and google. :) Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 2 No Way Out?

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter and who read the last chapter. I don't own Fifty Shades. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 2- No Way Out?**

I dream about C. _In my dream, he shows up at the hospital pretending to work there as he lightly taps me on the shoulder saying "Finally, I found you. I have been looking everywhere for you in this place." I giggle as I say "But, how did you find me?" He doesn't answer my question. Instead, he says, "Ana, come with me. We are running away together. I can give you a much better life than the one Jose is giving you."_

 _"But, I can't," I mutter, as I look at the ground, my eyes not meeting his. He grabs ahold of my hand as he pulls me out of the front door as he says, "You don't deserve to be spoken to like that. I am going to save you from him."_

 _"C, I can't leave with you right now. Jose will kill you and me." I say urgently, as I push him away, my eyes shooting around, waiting for Jose to pop out of nowhere to find me talking to another man. "What? Why?"_

 _"I can't tell you why." My eyes flying everywhere._

 _"I'm not going to give up on you Ana." He breaths as he pulls me close to him, kissing my forehead, then he walks away, and for a second he turns around, with a smug smile on his face, as he shouts "Call me. Don't leave me hanging." Then he disappears around the corner._

* * *

I wake with a smile on my face. I can still see C's face and hear his voice like he standing next to me. The sticky note is still in my hand from when I fell to sleep as I contemplated what to do with it. I stare at the handwriting willing the numbers to go into my mind, but no matter how hard I try, I can't memorize his phone number. The only thing my mind will think is; for a guy he has good handwriting. All too soon the plane makes a bumpy landing onto the black tarmac, and with that landing, reality comes crashing back to me when a much too cheery voice comes over the intercom, "Welcome to San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. The temperature today is sixty-six and cloudy with a light westerly breeze. Thank you for flying United once again. We hope you enjoy your stay and fly with us again soon."

 _Wonderful, I am home. I am back to my miserable existence._ I wait to get up from my seat as I continue to look at the sticky note. Jose will go through my phone. I know he will, so I can't just put the number in as C. I need to put it in as someone else that I know like maybe Elliot or Kate. I quickly check my contacts. I already have two numbers listed for Elliot. Jose will get suspicious if I put a third one under Elliot. However, I could add a work number for Kate, which wouldn't really be Kate's work number. I quickly add it, then I get up from my seat, stretch my legs, wait for all the rest of the passengers to exit the plane first, then I walk at a snail's pace out to the general waiting area where the public meets the travelers. I see Jose first before he sees me. I put a smile on my face, and quickly walk over to him. Jose is dressed in all black, black jeans and a black long sleeve button down shirt. He looks like he works for the mob, and everyone is giving him a wide berth. His dark brown hair is combed back, and his brown eyes are harsh looking as they meet mine. He is handsome on the outside. He always has been. He looks like he could be kind, but his insides don't match it. His inside is ugly, more ugly than I care to know.

I mentally start to compare C and Jose as soon I see Jose. Jose has bulky muscles. He looks like one of those guys at the gym who does nothing all day but lifts weights. Whereas C has muscles, but his are more refined, he looks leaner. As I look into Jose's eyes, I notice that I like C's mysterious dark gray eyes better than Jose's harsh brown ones. _Wait, why am I comparing Jose to C?_ I need to get over C and stop romanticizing the situation. My subconscious snaps at me as I think if I am trying to get over C, then why did I put his number into my phone. Maybe it is because I am hoping to call him, and he will come and rescue me. Clearly, I have been reading too many romance book. C isn't going to sweep me off my feet and save me from Jose. I need to do that for myself, but I can't. I need to protect Mason. As soon as I am home tonight alone, I am going to delete his number out of my phone. If Jose ever found out that I had another man's number in my phone, especially one who he could view as a threat. He would kill both Mason and me.

Jose is always going through my phone. I'm almost positive, he will find the new number for Kate. Then I am screwed. I'm not allowed to keep secrets with Jose or so he says. He grabs a hold of me and says "Ana, I'm so glad you are back home. I missed you."

I hug him, not wanting to, but putting on a show, by saying back "I missed you too." The back of my mind calling me a liar.

"How was your visit with Kate? I want to hear everything. I will have to go with you the next time you see her." He says smiling at me.

"I would like that," I say, smiling back at him, playing along with his nice act, secretly wondering what got into him right before Jose roughly grabs my hand as an outward display that I am with him when he sees other guys staring at me, and roughly starts to drag me to the luggage area. He hulks my bag off the carousel, and says angrily "See how slow you were getting off that plane, Ana? You were so slow that your bag was the last one here. You are lucky that it didn't go to lost and found, then I would have left it there."

I don't reply to him, knowing that if I do it will piss him off even more. He roughly pulls me out the door. He walks too fast for me. His legs are longer than mine. I end up tripping over the curb, and I fall on my hands and knees scrapping them. They sting as the tears fill my eyes, he stares down at me with anger in his eyes, as he sneers "Look what you did."

I look up at him from the ground, rubbing my hands together as people walk past me staring, no one offers to help me as a car zooms by beeping its horn in the underpass. Jose bends over like he is going to help me up, but instead, he whispers sinisterly "I should make you walk back to the car like this on all fours, but since you just got home. . ." He stops suddenly as he muses to himself "And we are in public, I will let you get up."

I lag behind limping as Jose shoots me evil looks, as we continue walking to the car. A single tear falls, I refuse to give Jose the satisfaction of seeing me cry, I need to stay strong for myself and for Mason. I want to cry because deep down, I know that I should have stayed with Kate in New York, and started fresh. I reach the car that Jose drives, he is already in it, tapping his fingers angrily against the steering wheel with a sour expression his face. He yells at me "Let's go, Ana. You are so slow. I don't have all day. It amazes me that you are able to keep your job with how slow you are."

I ignore his comments. I work hard at my job, I take pride in being a nurse, and I am a damn good nurse, he just doesn't know it because he doesn't care to ever ask about my job or my day at work. Jose drops me off at the house. I think I am off the hook with him checking my phone when as I am getting out of the car, he holds his hand out, and says, "Phone! Before I go to work."

"Why?" I ask frustrated about his lack of respect for my privacy.

"You know the drill. I pay the bills. I get to know what you were doing on that thing while you were gone." He sneers at me.

I hand my phone over begrudgingly, knowing, if I refuse to, it will only cause an argument. He looks through everything, "So Kate got a new work number?" He asks as he looks at me from the corner of his eyes suspiciously. I feel my cheeks heat as I say "Yup."

"We should call her on it right now. Make sure it is really her number."

I smile a huge smile at him as I say "Kate isn't at the office right now. She was saying something about going to Paris for a business meeting this week."

"Whatever." He says sarcastically.

"Stop being so paranoid," I say as he continues going through my phone, he listens to every voicemail, looks through every text message, and looks up my browser history. _Shit!_ I forgot to wipe my browser history, and I had been researching different military uniforms while I was stuck in the airport eating lunch. He hands me back my phone. Once again, I turn to leave when I feel a rush of air move past my face.

"You lying bitch! Looking at other men, were you?" He screams.

"No Jose, I wasn't. I swear." I say panicking.

"We will talk about this when I get home tonight." I slam the door shut to the car as he takes off down the road speeding to his job where he pretends to be a bartender but works for the mob really. Instead, he comes home drunk every night.

The reality that Jose almost hit me in the face shakes me to the core. He has never hit me before. He has grabbed me too roughly and left bruises before but never hit me. I know I need to leave, but I feel trapped. I don't have any place to go. Jose has me isolated here in his home. Every night, I hope that death will come because it will be easier than having to live with Jose. With tears in my eyes, I look at C's number one final time trying to memorize it as I delete it out of my phone. I can't let Jose find out about him. He would kill me. I call Kate crying, and she does her best to console me over the phone. She gets me to calm down enough to be able to function. I unpack my suitcase, start the laundry, and start cleaning the house. At some point during the night, I pass out from all the crying. I wake abruptly when a front door slams. "Honey, I'm home!" Slurs a drunk Jose.

I pretend to be sleeping, not wanting confrontation. He crawls into bed, kisses my cheek, and I can smell the alcohol on him, along with the smoke. The smell makes me want to vomit. Finally about ten minutes later, he is out cold, snoring. The next morning, I wake to his side of the bed empty, cold, and I briefly wonder where he is. Although, I really don't care. I look out the window, noticing him, helping someone move into the other side of his house, that he rents out as a source of income. I dress into a pair of navy blue sweatpants, a pale pink t-shirt, throw my hair up into a messy bun, and I walk out the door to be surprised by what I see unwinding before my eyes.

 **So what do you think Ana sees? Who do you think is moving in? I can't wait to hear guesses! Please review and let me know what your thoughts on this chapter are. I will see you all the weekend of July 8th with a new chapter. Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 3 Meet The New Neighbors

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. Here is the next chapter! I don't own Fifty Shades. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 3-Meet The New Neighbors**

 _Is Jose helping our new neighbors move in?_ I rub my eyes, hard, thinking that I must still be dreaming. _Jose, never helps anyone move in unless he has a motive. He must be getting something out of this._ I don't know what exactly, but I intend to find out. I slowly walk to the moving truck and survey the scene in front of me. No one is anywhere to be found, all that can be heard is a man grunting, moving boxes from the inside of the truck. I notice Jose in the back of the truck, pushing the boxes forward, starting to break out in a sweat from all the manual labor he is doing. I start to help unload the boxes, knowing if I don't there will be hell to pay later. _These people have a lot of crap._ The boxes are all labeled where each box belongs in the house, each in girly handwriting. "How nice of you to drag your ass out of bed and help." Jose sneers at me, having finally noticed that I am outside. "What happened to Kate's work number in your phone?"

I don't respond to him, _Shit! I was hoping he wouldn't see that was missing so soon._ Knowing that he is looking for an argument already first thing in the morning. I respond, "I'm here and helping," at him as I grab a box as he mumbles "Yeah, but only because you want to make a good impression on these new neighbors. You don't want to chase these ones away like you did with Sean and Caroline."

I shake my head as I begin to walk away, Jose yells, "You have nothing to say about Caroline? Why because you know that she was right?"

"Jose, how many times do I have to tell you! It isn't my fault that Sean and Caroline got divorced eight months after moving into the other side of our house? They both told you when they moved in, that they were moving away from their old town to try to fix their marriage. Maybe if you had kept your hands to yourself and off of Caroline, their marriage would have worked out!"

"Of course, it was all your fault, Ana. Everything is and always will be your fault, yours and your brother's, the quicker you learn that the easier your life will be. I know that you and Sean had a thing going on between the two of you. I knew about it since the first week that he moved in. I saw you two making eyes at each other. I knew that he used to give you rides home from the hospital. In fact, Caroline even told me that, that was the reason why she was moving out, why she had filed for divorce from Sean when I asked her. She told me how you had gotten your claws into Sean. How you were after his money, trying to get away from me."

"Jose, Sean and I worked at the hospital together, on the same shift, in the same department. He was just trying to be my friend. I think you need a drink of water. You are clearly dehydrated." I say as I walk away from him, ending the argument before he can say anything else to me. I mumble to myself, "It wasn't the fact that Sean, walked in on Caroline and you half-naked in bed together, that made him move out and file for a divorce. It was me though, right?"

 _I don't even know, why I came out here to try to help with this._ I should have just stayed in the house. He is just going to call me an ungrateful, lazy, bitch anyways. Our last neighbor Caroline, Jose fed so many lies to before I could even introduce myself to her. Caroline concluded that I was gold-digger, who was after her husband. I knew from the moment that I saw her that she had a crush on Jose. Sean the day that he was moving out, and the day he was leaving Caroline, when he had found her and Jose in bed together, half naked, he tried to get me to go with him, but I couldn't. I needed to protect Mason, and Jose had all my money tied up in his account. I wasn't allowed access to it, I never will, if Jose has his way.

Sean told me that Jose would feed Caroline lies about me to keep her away from me because he wanted to ensure that I was totally isolated and that he wanted complete control over me. It wasn't until Sean was giving me a ride home the very last time that I saw him, that he told me all about the lies that Jose had been spewing since day one, of their eight-month stay in the house.

I shake my head as I begin to read the girly handwriting that reads this box belongs in the kitchen, wondering how this neighbor is going to be. If she is going to be anything like Caroline? There are piles of boxes everywhere in here. There is a maze just to get to the kitchen. I gently set the box on the counter, not knowing where the new occupants want the box. I still don't see anyone, to ask. I start to back up when I bump into someone or something, and I hear boxes drop to the floor. I start to tumble backwards over a pile of boxes that I forgot were behind me as I yell, the ground getting closer and closer to my body. I brace myself for a fall, as my eyes close, and I attempt to make my limbs limp. _I wonder how much this is going to hurt._

A pair of muscular arms grabs ahold of me as I feel myself being cradled by someone who clearly works out and smells great. I blink, not feeling the ground, but still feeling hard muscles. The last person, I felt this muscular, was C. I blink again, and I am staring up into the eyes of a guy. My blue eyes are met by dark grey eyes. My breath catches. _Are those the same dark gray eyes that I have been dreaming about for the past couple of nights?_ My heartbeat quickens as does my breathing. I feel like I am going to pass out right there. The guy, he looks like C, but I'm not sure. I spent less than twenty-four hours with the guy. This guy looks different. He has a beard. His hair is on the slightly messy side, and he is wearing glasses. C, he was cleanly shaven with short hair, and he certainly didn't wear any glasses.

"Are you okay?" The guy asks as he stares at me. When he speaks, If I close my eyes, he even sounds like C, a small smile creeps across my face. but then he speaks again as he rights me to my feet as he says "Miss, are you okay? Did you hit your head before I got to you?" It is then that he speaks again, that I pick up on the small Californian accent that he has, that slips on certain words. The guy is tanned like C, but C didn't have an accent, at least any that I can remember. _Maybe he was good at hiding it?_

"I'm fine. Thanks for getting to me quick enough, for catching me." I say, trying to break the tension that I am feeling as I continue to stare at the guy. I can't help it. His grey eyes look familiar to me. They make me feel comfortable. He continues to keep his arms around me. His arms feel good around me, almost like C's arms when I woke up that morning in the airport and freaked out, but all too soon, his arms disappear from around me as the tension continues to build between us, as we stand there, staring at each other, not knowing what to say to one another.

Suddenly a girl coming running into the room, with dirty blonde hair that stops just past the top of her shoulders with bourbon colored eyes, saying "Honey! There you are! I was looking for you baby! You should see this place! The master bedroom is huge. I think we might need more furniture to make this place feel like home, this place is so big! I didn't realize how big this place was when Taylor was describing it! So many places for us to christen! Taylor did a great job picking out this place for us. I can't wait to get in that bathtub with you later." She says happily as she winks at him with a smile as she takes in the scene in front of her. Her voice changes from one of happiness to one of shock and anger as she asks "What the hell is going on here? Is she the reason that you agreed to move here with me? Explain yourself!"

The guy's fingertips drop from resting on my arm like I am on fire as he says, "No, you know why we moved here." The guy says as he stares at the girl like she is crazy. Of course, my luck, right behind her is, Jose. "Stacia, what the hell are you doing? I would like to know the answer to that question!" He asks angrily. Jose's face is bright red. If he were a cartoon character, he would have steam coming out of his ears with laser beams coming out of eyes, and he has a million accusations written all over his face. His words slam back into my mind that he had told me earlier today when I took the first box from the truck, about chasing the new neighbors away. My eyes skate over the girl, she is pretty. I wonder if Jose and she will end up in bed together? I feel a slight tinge of jealous as I wonder, why I'm not good enough as I move further away from the guy like he is on fire as well.

"Nothing is happening here." The guy says as he looks between his girl and Jose. "I was just helping, Stacia, is it?" I start to correct him. I want to tell him to call me Ana, but before I can, I hear Jose say "Yes, it is Stacia." Jose shoots me a look to keep my mouth shut. I want to correct Jose and tell him to stop calling me Stacia. I haven't gone by that name since high school. But, I know that if I correct him in front of our new neighbors, it will piss him off even more than he already is.

"Okay, well Stacia, here, almost fell onto the floor. I was coming into the house with another load of boxes when I saw her. She walked back into a pile of boxes that crash-landed onto the floor. I couldn't just let her fall to the floor and get hurt. I'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner with all the piles everywhere." He says seriously.

Jose looks pissed. He looks like he doesn't believe either story as he snaps angrily "Yeah Stacia, here is quite accident prone, aren't you?"

I smile, trying to laugh to lessen the tension in the room. "Yeah, I'm so sorry once again. I fall over my own two feet all the time. It is a problem of mine."

The woman who caught the guy and me in the awkward position hasn't said a word since Jose entered the room. Her eyes are locked on Jose. The man turns back to her, his arms going around her as he says "Lelia, really, you have to believe me. I would never do something like this to you. You know that I love you, and you mean the world to me." I glance at his left hand for some reason, he isn't wearing a wedding ring, and neither is she. She turns dramatically as she stomps away from him yelling, "Whatever you say!" as Jose roughly grabs my arm, saying "Excuse us for a moment."

As he pulls me out the door, he pushes the screen door open, dragging me into our house behind him, and angrily says through controlled measured words "What do you think you are doing Ana? Trying to prove what a whore you are? Are you trying to chase away our new neighbors already?"

"I'm sorry Jose. I was just trying to help, and fell over some boxes." I say whispering. "I didn't mean to."

"You never mean to do anything that you do!"

"I'm sorry."

"You are always sorry when you get caught. Maybe I should teach you a lesson." Jose says as he raises his hand to me, I visibly flinch. "Do you think that low of me, that I would hit you?" Jose asks as I feel my heart begin to race. "That guy that you were trying to start trouble for with his girlfriend. Well, let's just say that I wouldn't. He will be working with me."

I don't respond for several seconds as I think about what he just said when suddenly it dawns on me that the guy next door works in the mob too. I hope not. He looks too innocent and nice to be doing something like that.

"You hired someone to help out at the bar?" I ask innocently, wondering if that is really the case. If Jose works less, then he will be home more with me causing me more issues.

"Nope, sweetheart. He is in the mob with me. Let's just say that, that guy has more kills than my grandfather does." I gulp, thinking about how the reason Jose is never caught doing what he does with the mob, is because his grandfather is the police commissioner for the city.

"Why have I never seen him before?" I ask suspiciously.

"Go to work Ana." Jose yells frustratedly at me as he says "Maybe it is because he just moved from the south of the border. Stop asking so many questions. The less you know when it comes to my business, the less guilty by association you will be if I get caught. As much as you hate me. I am still trying to protect you, and I do love you most of the time."

"If you loved me, then you wouldn't be in the mob. The same mob that killed my parents. Jose, you know how I feel about that."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But, this is something that I have always wanted to do since I was a little kid. It was expected out of me to join especially since every male in my family has at one point been in the mob."

"I guess it is a good thing I can't have kids then, because, over my dead body, I would allow my son to join the mob."

"I guess it is a good thing then." Jose smiles at me as he watches me walk over to the door. He sounds slightly annoyed when he says "Oh Ana,"

"Yeah," I say trying to plaster a smile on my face as I turn to look him in the eyes, wanting to roll my eyes at him. "I love you. I know that you are working a double shift, but we are inviting my new associate and his girlfriend over to breakfast tomorrow morning. I expect breakfast on the table by no later than eight thirty." I slam the door behind me, once the door is completely closed, I flip him the bird.

The guy next door is standing there on the porch. He watches me flip the closed door, the bird. He laughs at me, as I shoot him a look to stay the hell away from me. I don't want anything to do with him; if he is involved with the mob. "Sorry, Princess. I will stay out of your way." He grins back at me, holding up his hands as I stalk down the stairs to the road with my backpack in hand. I hate Jose, and I think I hate these new neighbor already, especially if the guy is in the mob. I don't care if he saved me from taking a fall, I don't care if he is or was the president of the United States, I don't want anything to do with him. He is guilty by association if he works with the mob. I wish I had stayed with Kate and Elliot in New York. I wish I could call C right now. I wish that we could be friends. I wish I could find out how his leave is going. His two weeks should be just about up. I wonder if he caught up on his sleep like he wanted?

Silent tears fall down my face as I angrily wipe my eyes, thinking to myself that I deserve a much better life than this one, but I have no one to help me escape. I dig through my backpack to find my earbuds and begin my two-mile run to work for the night. Jose won't ever let me use the car. He said once, " You haven't done anything to deserve that privilege in this life, besides being worthless."

I find Pink's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" as I start to run. My feet pounding to the beat of the music on the pavement. The two-mile run is exhausting, but I make it in time to shower with time to spare before I clock in for my shift. I check the whiteboard to get my assignment, get my patient report, and so far my shift is starting out easy. But, the ER can change at any moment. After I am done charting and checking on my patients. I take a short break before the witching hours of the early morning happens. I decide to email Kate, to tell her about Jose and about how weird he is being. I even give her the little bit of gossip about our new neighbors, about how the guy apparently works with Jose. My mind goes to C, once again. I think about looking him up, and before I realize it. I am trying to find him in the white pages, but I don't know his last name. _Hell, I don't even know his whole name!_ I give up trying to find him for the day. _He probably doesn't even remember me._ I begin instead, to research apartments that I could afford if I figured out a way to save my lunch money for the rest of my life. In my mind, I daydream about a life without Jose in it.

As I am walking back into the ER, a phone catches my eyes, and I get a crazy idea. I pick up the phone sitting in the reception area and dial the number that I tried to memorize. As my fingers push the buttons on the phone, my heart beats faster. The ringing of the phone sends my heart into overdrive. "I can't do this!" I mutter to myself. Right before I hang up the phone a velvety male voice fills my ears with a "Hello?" I freeze, not answering back. I don't know what to say to him. I don't know why I even called him. He can't help me. "Hello?" He says again, "Hello, is this An..." he starts to say something else, but before I can even hear it. I hang up the phone with a smile on my lips. I did it. I managed to call C. I was able to remember his phone number. I might have a way to escape if I can figure out how to get away from Jose without hurting Mason in the process. Now I just need a plan.

At the end of my shift, I am dead on my feet. We had multiple motor vehicle accidents involving multiple injuries that came into the ER. I feel like I could sleep standing up right now. That's how tired I am. I want my bed. That is what always happens to me right after high adrenal cases. I change my clothes, wishing just once Jose would come to pick me up at the hospital. I slowly make my way to the coffee stand to get an early morning cup of tea, before starting my way home when suddenly I remember that Jose was going to invite our new neighbors over for breakfast this morning. _Crap!_

 **What do you think? Who do you think this new neighbor is? What do you think about Ana calling C and hanging up? Please review and let me know what you think about this chapter! Next chapter will be up around July 23. Until Next Time!**


	5. Chapter 4 Breakfast Revelations

**Here is the next chapter. Sorry, it is behind schedule, but I was out of the country for a little bit of vacation then it was back to work for me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 4 Revelations at Breakfast**

I run the two miles home as fast as I can, knowing, if breakfast isn't done by eight-thirty, like Jose asked, there will be hell to pay. I don't know what he will do exactly to make my life more miserable, but I am sure, he will figure out a way. I run through the door with only ten minutes to spare. "Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" Jose sneers at me from the couch as he reads the newspaper. "Your ass should have been home half an hour ago."

"Well, maybe if you had picked me up. I would have been home earlier." I quip at him as I cross my arms over my chest, figuring if he wants a fight, then that is what I will give him.

He shakes his head as he asks "What crawled up your ass this early in the morning?"

"Maybe, the fact that I just worked a double and now I have to host a breakfast gathering. I am exhausted. Work was busy. There were lots of things to do last night in the ER, so many accidents with injuries."

"How about I do not care what your excuses are." Jose says slowly as he smiles at me, wickedly."Whatever!" I say as I storm into the kitchen as Jose yells "Oh and I know about how you flipped off the door on your way out last night. Our new neighbor told me that one. I told you to watch yourself." I flip him off again, this time, from the in the kitchen, where he can't see me. "I know what you are doing. Real mature, Ana."

"Also, I know about your boyfriend."

"What boyfriend?" I ask, my voice raising slightly, my head peeking around the corner to look at him, to give him a look like he has officially lost it. I know better than to even try to have a secret boyfriend. Jose would kill me and that boyfriend. "This boyfriend." He says as he produces a piece of mail addressed to me. As I get closer, I see the letter and notice the return address in Florida where Luke is living. "That is from Luke, you should remember him in high school. We write back and forth to each other. We are friends like I am with Elliot. He is not my boyfriend. Did you get hit in the head last night?"

"No," Jose says as he crosses his arms, squinting his eyes at me. "Although, last night was very productive if I do say so myself. That new guy is very skilled when it comes to a gun and getting people to take orders."

"Sounds like someone has a man crush." I laugh as I start to walk away with the piece of mail in hand.

"Shut up! Don't you have breakfast to be cooking?" He asks as he motions to the kitchen. "Remember you are to be seen, not heard."

"Whatever!" I grumble. "I will just make breakfast, then I will go to bed."

"Nope, I want you sitting at the table as we talk business this morning."

"What happened to wanting to keep me innocent?"

"Oh, I feel like torturing you." He smirks at me as my stomach turns, feeling like I am going to be sick.

A few minutes later, a knock sounds throughout the house, panic pierces my heart because breakfast isn't done yet. Jose answers the door, shooting me one last dirty look. The man and Lelia talk back and forth with Jose. I'm not interested in knowing what they are talking about or hearing what lies Jose is feeding them. I know, how these breakfast meetings tend to go with our new neighbors, but on the other hand, Jose is working with this guy. I wonder if maybe I could learn what type of mob Jose is in; if I listen carefully enough while sitting at the table. He has never told me that piece of information after all these years together. I quickly finish frying the eggs, place them on a plate, then say "Breakfast is served," with a smile on my face.

Jose scowls at me saying, " Stacia, are you deaf? Was that nice? You just interrupted Lelia, who is our guest. Where are your manners?"

"It's fine man." the guy says, sounding annoyed that Jose is speaking to me like he is.

"No, it's not. Stacia, you aren't being a good host. You haven't offered our guests anything to drink." Jose snaps at me.

"Dude, it's fine." The guy says, and I can tell from his facial expression, that he wants to roll his eyes at Jose. I want to smile, but that will get me into more trouble than I am probably somehow in already. "She is probably tired, she looks tired, she looks ready to fall on her face. I saw her, get home literally, ten minutes before we were to be over here for breakfast, from work. How was work last night?" His question stays hanging in the air unanswered, as I shrug my shoulders, not knowing where to begin or what to tell this guy.

Jose turns to Leila, smiling at him, as he says, "Leila, I'm sorry for her and her rudeness. She is just so rude, but you know how it is these days. Parents, they don't teach their children manners like they use to. I would love to hear all about what you did for work? Maybe, I can help you get a job. I have lots of ties in this town." I notice her guy, push his foot into Leila's as she begins to spill the beans about her past.

The guy looks sadly at me when he hears the comment about my parents, but when he studies me; his eyes become nervous because I am seeing red. How dare Jose insult, my parents. My parents never had a rude bone in their bodies. My father, he died trying to take down the mob. The mob killed both him and my mother. Before my parents died, they raised Mason and me the best that they could. "Are you going to get those drinks like I suggested, like a good little hostess, or are you going to just stand there, looking like a deer in the headlights?" Jose snaps at me, before his full attention goes back to Leila.

I want to tell Jose that he could have offered our guests drinks, that he could have gotten off his lazy ass, but I am not starting an argument in front of these two. "Of course, Jose. I completely forgot about the drinks. My brain is a little dead right now. I thought you said you would take care of the drinks for me." I smile slightly at him, a hint of sarcasm in my voice, as Jose shots me another look to knock it off.

He grimaces, "Oh no. An. Stacia, why would I do that. After all, you are the one who insisted that we have breakfast this morning even though you worked a double."

"Wow, a double, and you managed to put breakfast together! How are you not sleeping right now? Are you WonderWoman or something?" The guy asks, smiling at me as his eyes catch mine.

"Nope, no lasso of truth, here." I smile back at him, as he smiles back at me, trying not to laugh. "Although, I do own some WonderWoman scrubs." He laughs as he says "You're funny."

"Thanks. I try."

"Drinks! Now!" Jose says sternly.

"I'll help you get those." The guy says as he shoots Jose a look to get off his ass and help.

"No, you stay right there, you are our guest."

"Guest or not. She needs help, she just worked sixteen hours, and if you aren't going to help, and be a man, then I will." The guy says as I watch Jose and the guy go back and forth about whether to help me or not. I begin to like our male next door neighbor a little.

"I have apple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, water, coffee, and tea," I say, as my voice tries to break through the loud, passionate ones in the den.

"A mixture of apple and cranberry." Jose says angrily as Leila says "I'll have water. I'm trying to watch my figure. You know all that sugar in juice, isn't good for you, you know." I notice the guy roll his eyes. I smirk to myself. I turn to the guy as I ask, "And you?"

"Well, I'm going to come with you, and help you. I'll just get my own." He smiles at me.

"Okay, but I don't think Jose is going to like that very much," I whisper as we begin to walk to the kitchen. "He can take that up with me. I don't like the way he talks to you. You deserve to be treated much better. If he doesn't watch himself, I might just end him." He smiles at me, and the look in his eye makes me realize he has probably killed people before, as he asks "Where are your glasses?" I point to the cabinet, he gets out the glasses while I pour the beverages in them, leaving one empty for him. He pours coffee into the cup.

"Do you want any milk or sugar?" I ask as I am stirring some into my tea.

"No thank you, ever since I began drinking this stuff in college." He holds up the coffee mug, "I have been drinking it the same."

"And that would be?" I ask.

"Black, the only way to enjoy a cup of coffee."

"Disgusting!" I say as I make a face at him. He smiles at me as he lifts up the cup of coffee to his face inhaling the aroma, smiling as his eyes close, looking childlike at the moment.

In the moments of quietness out in the kitchen between me and the guy, I hear Jose and Leila talking back and forth. "Did she really work sixteen hours? I should go help her too." I hear the couch move, but I also hear Jose say, "Nonsense. She is the type of woman who wants to do it all herself. Trust me I had to learn that the hard way when we first started dating. I'm sure once you guys leave, I will have to hear all about how your guy helped her out in the kitchen because he thought she wasn't capable of doing it by herself. She is a real feminist." I hear Leila start to laugh as I notice the guy shake his head as he says to me, "Don't pay Leila, any attention, she doesn't know what she is doing."

"Yeah, well," I mutter, as the guy shoots me a look of concern that I don't understand. My mind wishing that someone would come and help me in more than one way. That someone would come and save me from Jose. That someone would sweep me off of my feet, but I know that only in my dreams those types of things happen. I know that I am destined to stay here in this miserable place with Jose until the end of my time.

The guy is kind and helps me set the table, placing all the food on the table, he even tries to cook, but he fails. He burns the pancakes that I try to get him to make. I see him smile mischievously at me as he says "Oh well. I don't think we need pancakes, anyway."

"But, they are Jose's favorite."

"He will survive." He grins at me as his shoulder touches mine, making me laugh.

At breakfast, Leila is locked onto Jose. She is hanging on his every word. It makes me sick. Jose tries to be a good boyfriend. He tries to be attentive to me, but I know where his attention truly is. The guy makes faces at me across the table, making me laugh, causing Jose to shoot looks at me as he is talking. "So last night, how did you get so good at getting all those women under your control?" Jose asks the guy. My ears perk, as the guy makes another face at me, as Jose has his back turned, giving Leila fuck me eyes. The kind of eyes that a lover would give to their significant other. Leila sits there oblivious as she continues to flirt with Jose openly. The guy does nothing about it, almost like he trusts her, and what she is doing.

"Oh, it was easy." The guy says as he stares Jose straight in the eye.

"You ready for a harder job."

"Sure." The guy says as he stares at Leila, "But, I don't want my girl to be hearing any of this. If you don't mind. That is, if we are going to start talking business."

"Sure. It was so very nice to meet you and get to know you better, Leila." Jose says as he stands, and kisses the back of her hand as she giggles. I roll my eyes as he moves to walk her to the door, but the guy moves instead, blocking his path to Leila. Before Leila leaves to go home, she whispers, "Don't be too long." She smiles at me, almost like she is trying to tell me to remember that mystery guy is her guy. I shake my head to myself, as I am left all alone with Jose for a moment. This breakfast has reminded me of Ethan and Mia. I wonder if these two try to make each other jealous, for the great sex.

When the guy comes back, I try to get up, but Jose places his hand on my leg, He squeezes and presses down hard. So hard that I can't get up from my chair without it being obvious that I am being held down. "Well, perhaps tonight we can try something heavier. The drug cartel from Mexico has been wanting us to transport some underage girls from here to the border. I'm going to need someone who is good at getting people to listen to them."

"Do you think, you are down with that?"

"Sounds like fun."

I feel myself turning white. _How does that sound like fun?_ "Well, I will see you tonight, around six. Be ready. Have your gun with you, in case you need it."

"Sure. I wish I could stay longer to chat, but I need to run in order to take care of some business for tonight. Plus, I need to make my appearance at the bar. They all think I died or something." He grins.

As soon as his hand leaves my thigh to go upstairs to change his clothes, I am running to the kitchen, only to throw up my breakfast in the garbage. Jose's mob is somehow involved with child trafficking! The revolution hits me like a ton of bricks. My hands won't stop shaking when Jose appears in the kitchen. He kisses me roughly goodbye before he darts from the room. My hands touch the dishes, I'm scared, I'm going to break them by dropping them. I hear Jose talking to someone in the den as I turn the water up, trying to drown my thoughts, "Hey, you can't be here anymore. I'm leaving for the day, and I'm not comfortable with you in my house with my girl."

"Sure thing. I just wanted to thank you personally for inviting Leila and me over for breakfast and for everything last night. Also, I wanted to thank you for helping us get settled into our new apartment. It already feels like home, but I have to ask that you stay away from Leila. She is innocent in all of this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"It just means that I will be watching you. Anyways, I'm going to go and say goodbye to Stacia." Mystery man says as I hear him push past Jose, who storms out the door. I hurry back to pretending to do dishes.

My mind drifts to wondering why no one says his name. At least he is nice to look at, all those muscles. He does remind me a little of C in his light green Air Force fatigues. Although, mystery man has glasses. I think about C's full lips. I imagine what it would have been like to have kissed him at that airport. I think I could have gotten lost staring into his dark gray eyes. I feel like I could have stared into his soul through his eyes. I imagine him holding me, protecting me, and saving me from Jose. I feel like C would never have treated me the way that Jose treats me. I know I didn't know him for longer than twenty-four hours, but he didn't seem like a crazy man. I shake my head as I attempt to clear my crazy thoughts. "Ana, get a grip on yourself. He would never want you! You are damaged goods!"

"You talking to yourself out here."

"Maybe." I smile at mystery guy. "Well WonderWoman, maybe your head does need to be checked. Maybe I didn't get to you fast enough yesterday." He smirks at me.

"Nah, I am good."

"Try not to be too hard on the criminals today. Thank you for all your hard work with breakfast this morning."

"Your welcome, thank you for helping with the pancakes, but how did you know? You just blew my cover. with being a superhero" I say lowering my voice.

"The scrubs, although you did answer to the name, and you did tell me that you owned a pair of WonderWoman scrubs earlier." He smiles at me. "Didn't you hear nurses have their own superpowers?"

"So I've heard." I laugh.

He smiles again and says "Thanks again for making Lelia and me feel welcomed. Do you need help with those?" He points to the dishes that are sitting in the drainer that need to be dried.

"Sure, I would love it." I smile as he picks up the rag and begins to dry the dishes as I wash them, handing them to him, as I finish the last dish, he says, "Hey, Stacia."

"Yeah."

"Just so you know, you aren't damaged goods. And whatever guy, you are after, would be crazy to not want you in return."

"I don't want any guy. I'm with Jose." I say, suddenly remembering that he works with Jose.

"Whatever you say. That is why you are in daydream land, right? I know a look of a crush when I see one."

"Have a good day." I wave over my shoulder at him as he walks out the doorway, laughing.

After finishing putting the dishes away, I head to the den to straighten the area, only to notice that someone left their black leather jacket here. Maybe it's Lelia's or her boyfriend's jacket. I head upstairs to change into my PJs, exhausted, when I hear arguing going on next door. Suddenly, there is a knock on the front door just as my head hits the pillow. _I wonder who it is?_ Maybe Jose forgot his keys. Maybe he came back home to check up on me to make sure that I am still home. He does do random checks at times. I run down the stairs, throwing the door open. My heart leaps out of my chest with the sight before my eyes.

 **Thoughts on this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. What do you think about Leila, Jose, and the mystery guy? Guesses, do you guys still think it is C or someone else? Who do you think is at the door? I'll be back with another update on the weekend of August 18th, until next time.**


	6. Chapter 5 Temptation Leads To Trouble

**Thank you to everyone who continues to read this story and review. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. The mystery man is finally going to be revealed in this chapter, who is excited? Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 5 Temptation Leads To Trouble**

 _Great! I can't wait to have to deal with Jose's wrath for being slow if he forgot his keys._ I run to the door, thinking that Jose, left his keys behind, thinking about all the ways that he will try to blame me for that. I open the door quickly to avoid Jose's accusations. Instead, there is a guy standing there on the porch. For a minute, I see C standing on my porch in his sage green Air Force fatigues, I blink and he is gone. The image morphs into looking like the man from next door, but I can't tell. My vision is blurry from the lack of sleep. I blink as my vision comes back into focus, only to find the man from next door with less facial scruff than he was sporting an hour ago. He looks nervous as hell as he stands there, staring at his feet. He should be nervous, Jose would kill him if he knew that he was back over here again after he told him to leave and not come back over here. "Can I help you?" I ask, attempting to shut the door in his face, not trusting this guy, no matter how friendly he is. My eyes, glancing at the duffle bag, wondering if a body is in it. Maybe Leila's. I did hear fighting going on over there earlier.

"Hey Stacia, can I come in and talk to you, please. It is important." He stares at me, imploring me.

"No," I mutter, as I cross my arms over my chest, shutting the door in his face. He knocks on the door again, as he says "I know you are still standing there. I see your shadow."

"Go away," I shout through the door, wanting my bed and pillow, wanting nothing to do with this man who works in the mob.

"Can I ask, why?" He asks, as he taps on the glass of the door, startling me, as I begin to think about opening the door for him. _Gee-sh this guy is pushy, and because if I was nice to you, Jose would end your life, no matter how much he respects you._

I open the door a sliver, the man is staring at the road, as soon as he hears the squeak of the door, his eyes move to mine with a serious expression on his face as I say "Because I don't even know your name, and I don't let strangers into this house when I am home alone. I certainly don't let strangers in, who works for the mob. You can ask Whalen the next time you see him. It can be a million degrees out, and I will leave him sitting out in that car with no water. I don't care."

"Wait, slow down. Who the hell is, Whalen?"

"He watches the house, reports back to Jose, every move that I make when Jose isn't around."

"Well, that is going to complicate things." The guy mutters under his breath as I give him a look to explain himself. "It's nothing for you to worry about." He smiles at me as he says, "Now, may I come in?"

"You going to tell me your name, or am I going to have to continue calling you mystery man in my head?"I shoot at him. He smirks at me as he shakes his head as he gently touches the door, and I let the door fall open, not putting up much of fight to keep him out. _He makes me feel comfortable around him for some reason._

"First, I am so sorry that I never properly introduced myself, that was very rude of me. My mother would have smacked me upside the head if she knew that. I believe you know her. You work with her at the hospital."

"I don't think I do," I say, wondering who the hell this man is that moved in next door. _Mystery man really is a mystery._

"You work in the ER, don't you? At least, that is what Jose said you did when I asked him. He wasn't too keen on my interest that I had taken in you."

"I don't see how my working in the ER is any of your concern." I snap at him, as he looks at me, lifting an eyebrow as I say, putting my hands on my hips, while saying, "I'm sorry, I'm still waiting on your name like you promised me if I let you in."

"Sorry. Jose told me that he was going to tell you who I was this morning after I left, but he left before I did. He told me that you weren't comfortable talking to strange men. Guess that was a lie. I should have known better after this morning."

"Do you ever shut up and just get to the point? You talk too much."

"Sorry."

"You know, you say sorry an awful lot."

"I know, it's part of my job, sometimes I get nervous around pretty girls, which is why I talk too much, but all of my friends call me, Grey. I would like to be your friend, Stacia." He says casually, as he puts his hand out, toward me, and I tentatively accept his hand with my own.

My mind hangs on the fact, that he called me pretty, as my cheeks heat, as the words slip out of my mouth, before my mouth to brain filter can connect, "Thanks Grey, but don't ever say that to me again, or else I will have to hit you." I smile at him, as he smiles at me. "Say what? That you are pretty. It's the truth." His cheeks are slightly red, as I ask,"Does Jose, call you, Grey?"

"Not that I know of, and I don't want him to. He is the furthest thing from a friend that I ever want." He grimaces.

"Why not?" I ask, wondering, why Grey doesn't like Jose.

"Because, he is my boss, and a boss isn't supposed to be your friend." He smiles at me. "Although, can you do me a favor, and not tell Jose, that my mom works with you, or that I called you pretty. I don't want him to know, for safety purposes, you know."

"My lips are sealed," I smirk. "Who is your mom?" I ask, trying to think about who Grey's mother could possibly be. He shakes his head no, as I am asking the question, and I can tell he isn't going to give me an answer. I can live with that, after all, Jose can be dangerous. I am trying to protect Mason, that is why I am staying with Jose.

"Good, now, I forgot my jacket over here earlier. Do you think I could get it?" He asks, smirking at me once again.

"Fine, but make it quick, Grey." He quickly grabs his jacket from the couch, where it was left sitting, as he turns to me, saying, "You wouldn't want to go out for a while with me would you?"

"Why?"

"Leila sort of tossed me out of the house for the day. She said I was making too much noise, and she was pissed when I told her that I had to work tonight again."

My eyes glance to Whalen's dark car, through the front door as I look at Grey carefully, trying to weigh if I should go with him. _I'm going to be in so much trouble._ "Do you trust me?" He asks, winking at me, as I smile, saying "Not as far as I can throw you."

"Good."

"Now are you going to come with me or not."

"I don't know," I answer.

"Are you going to come with me, or not?" He asks again, sounding impatient, as his eyes dart to the road toward Whalen's car.

"Sure, let me just change my clothes. I need to be back before Jose is home, or else I am in deep trouble. Where do you plan on going?"

"It's a surprise." He smirks at me, "And if Jose says a word, then you let me know, and I will deal with him."

I smile at him, as he smiles back at me, as I run back up the stairs to change out of my PJs into some actual clothes. I throw on a pair of jeans, with an oversized sweater, and some large sunglasses that take up part of my face. When I come back downstairs, Grey is nowhere to be found after a quick scan of the den and the kitchen."What in the world?" I hear from behind me, as I am fixing my hair in the mirror behind the door downstairs. My eyes meet his, he is smirking back at me as I say, "I'm undercover. I told you, Whalen is watching the house. I can't let him see me leave." I smile at Grey, who laughs lightly, as he grabs one of my brimmed hats off the coat rack, placing it on my head, as he says, "Now your look is complete, but I just went and talked with Whalen, told him that Jose wanted me to take you out for the day." He winks at me, as I ask, "And Whalen just brought that?"

"Yup," He says as he turns toward the front door "Meet me at my car in ten minutes." He grabs my phone from out of my hand and starts a timer. "If you aren't out there by the time this goes off. I will come back in here and drag you out there."

"Maybe I shouldn't go with you, after all, I am going to be in so much trouble," I mumble as Grey is walking out the door. He turns, looking at me, he draws nearer to me, he looms over me, his eyes bore into mine, and he touches my chin gently. His breath smells like mint as it ghosts over my face, as he asks, "Weren't you listening, Stacia? I already talked to Whalen. You are coming with me." He stares into my eyes like I am going with him whether I want to or not as he continues saying "I mean it, Stacia. I will come back in here if you aren't out there in ten minutes, and I will carry you out there, you wouldn't want that would you?"

"No." A shiver goes down my spine at the close contact between us. He smiles at me again, as he his hand leaves my chin, and he replies, "Good because I don't think Leila would like that either." He laughs as he leaves the house, whistling a tune.

 **Do you think Ana will go with Grey or do you think she will chicken out? What do you think the surprise is? The next chapter which is where he is taking her will be up on the weekend of September 1. Let's just say in that chapter there are some major developments that happen. Until Next Time!**


	7. Chapter 6 Surprise

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. I don't own Fifty Shades. Happy Reading!**

 **To my guest reviewer on chapter 1: I can't write you a private message as you were under a guest account, let me try to clear up some confusion for you. Anything in chapter 1 that is in italics that is a long paragraph is a flashback. I probably should have made that more clear, but I thought that I did as it was in past tense. Ana became homeless with her stepbrother Mason after her parents died when she was in high school. During that time, she dropped out and became suicidal due to depression from her parents dying. I don't think that is a long stretch from reality especially knowing people whose parents have died when they are young. She meets Jose when they are in high school when her and Mason are homeless, running from the cops after having stolen food to live. He offers her a place to stay along with Mason, they accept, she moves in and restarts high school. Mason gets his degree and starts working. Jose and her start dating while Ana is in high school and they continue dating in college. Jose drops out at some point in college. Ana graduates college and becomes a nurse, that is her job. As far as Jose encouraging her to take a coat then forbidding her from going to New York, that is part of the abusive relationship cycle with Jose. Hope that helps.**

 **Chapter 6 Surprise**

Ten minutes later, I am still thinking about not going to meet Grey, out at his car. "Don't be a chicken, Ana, Put your big girl panties on. It's not like this guy is going to try to kill you." I mutter to myself as I look at myself one more time in the mirror, trying to give myself a prep talk, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. When I walk out the door with my sunglasses and hat on, with the resolve that I'm not trusting Grey one bit, that he isn't setting me up with Jose.

My resolve crumbles, the moment I see Grey leaning on a car, with his aviators on, looking as sexy as ever. _Consequences be damned, Grey can set me up if he wants to. At least I get to spend the day with him alone._ I blush as soon as the thought crosses my mind. "I can not go there. He is a taken man." I grumble as I take a deep breath as I take a step off the porch, wanting to turn back and hide as Grey sees me, a smile creeps across his face, one that says he is up to no good. _What if Grey is playing me? What if Jose finds out about this?_ I push the angsty thoughts from my head, forcing a smile to my lips. I hate that Jose can make me feel this way. I shouldn't be afraid to walk outside. I hate that I talk a good game, but I suck at follow through. Jose has made me like this. Grey's body gracefully moves into the car, and I expect to find some inconspicuous vehicle, instead, I find a flashy Audi that is white with red trim with red wheels parked next to an all-black Audi with red wheels. "I think you have a little drool." Grey teases as he rolls down the window. "Jealous of my baby? I know she is pretty." _I'm not drooling over the car, Grey._

I grumble at Grey, a smirk playing on his lips at my expression, "Couldn't we have taken the black one, at least?"

"No can do, Princess. That one is Leila's." I roll my eyes at the statement as I think, of course, Leila gets the nice looking car and the cute guy. She gets everything in life. I mentally slap myself for having that thought as soon as it appears in my brain.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Do you want something from me?" He looks at me shocked that I would ask such a question of him. As he shoots at me "Maybe I am stealing you for the day."

"Why would you do that?" He doesn't answer me. He looks at me and simply says "Get in the car."

"And if I don't?" I shoot at him, still not trusting this man, after all, he himself, told me not to trust him in the house.

"Then I will tell Jose that you are trying to sneak out of the house, would you like that?" He smiles at me from behind his aviators.

"No." I pout.

"Then I suggest you get in this car." He smiles at me, as I grab ahold of the door handle roughly, and slam the car door shut behind me, as he takes off like a bat fleeing hell. _I hate him._ For a minute, I thought I was starting to like him. I thought he was different from Whalen and Jose, but now I'm not so sure.

I'm quiet as the landscape passes by me. I don't try to make conversation with Grey and neither does he with me. The silence is awkward. I pick at an invisible thread on the edge of my sweater. "Why are you so quiet?" He asks out of the blue, making me jump slightly, bringing me out of my thoughts. I shrug my shoulders as he says "Let's play a game. I ask you a question, if you answer honestly, then you get to ask me a question."

"How do you know that I am answering honestly."

"I have my ways." He smirks at me, as he says, "I'll start with an easy one, do you like music, Stacia?"

"Yeah," I answer, wondering where he is going with this.

"Any in particular?"

"Not really. Anything that is on the radio. It mostly depends on my mood. That is what I listen to." Grey touches a knob on the dash, lighting up the center, hard rock music fills the dead air in the car. My nose wrinkles at the music. "Not a fan?" He grins at me as his eyes leave the road for a short second.

"Not particularly."

"Change it then." He orders, as I begin to hum the song on the new station. "What does Leila do for work?" I ask Grey, as he looks surprised at me, as he asks "You really want to waste your question on Leila?"

"Sure."

"She went to school for art."

"That doesn't answer my question of what she does for work."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He grins at me as I roll my eyes at him, saying, "Fine, I want another question. What did you do, before you were hired by Jose?"

"A question, I can't answer, not if you want to live, but something in the military." He smiles at me, but he has a look in his eye, that I don't understand.

I grumble as I say, "Fine where did you go to college?"

"Harvard."

"What is something you have always wanted to do, but never got to?"

"Go sailing," I answer automatically. But, before I can ask another question to Grey, a ringtone fills the speakers of his car. Grey answers, with a "Grey, speaking."

"Taylor here. You." At those words, Grey's eyes fill with dread, as he quickly snaps the phone off speaker, and puts it to his ear, mumbling things in a code that I don't understand. Grey hangs up the phone, a smile on his lips, as he looks at me, as I ask suspiciously, "Who is Taylor?"

"Someone who I work with."

"I thought you work with Jose. I know everyone who Jose works with, and there is no one named Taylor. What are you up to Grey?"

"Nothing." He smiles at me as his eyes connect to mine, telling me to trust him, even though, at the house, he told me not to trust him. _This guy sends mixed signals like no other._

"Now come with me." He says as he looks at me. It is then that I notice that the car is stopped and we are at a marina. "Are we here so that why you can kill me?"

"No." He smiles at me again as he exits the car, moving around the car swiftly, opening up my door.

"If we aren't here for you to kill me, then what are we here to do?"

"You said, you have always wanted to go sailing, so we are going sailing today."

"Really?" I ask, not believing him.

"Yup." He says, as he motions to a white sailboat with the name, The Grace painted in black across the back.

"Is this yours?" I ask, my hands touch the sleek wood of the railing as he unfolds the sails. He says nothing until we are out of the marina into the bay away from the crowds of people.

"It was a gift from my mom." He says as he stands behind the while, steering the boat, the ocean mist spraying me as I look out over the vast ocean.

I turn to look at him over my shoulder as I lift my sunglasses off my face. "Wait, your mom is Grace, who I work with at the hospital? You are the son that is never around? Why are you never around, Grey? You seem too good to be in the mob? Grace seems too nice to have a son in the mob. I have met Jose's whole family, they are the type to have a son, who belongs in the mob. His family is full of criminals." I muse out loud as Grey looks at me, from behind his aviators, almost like he wants me to piece something together.

"I don't know Stacia, did I say before that my mom worked at the hospital in the ER with you?" He asks the statement like a question and it drives me crazy.

"Yeah."

"Then maybe I am her son, but I will neither deny nor confirm that fact."

"Wait, does she know that you are working in the mob? Does she know that you are in San Francisco? Have you visited her since you came into town?"

"No, and you can't tell her. Please don't tell her that you have met me."

"Why, what are you hiding, Grey?"

"Nothing."

"Everyone is hiding something."

"Then what are you hiding, dear Stacia?" He asks as he raises an eyebrow at me, coming closer to me.

"Nothing. I'm an open book." I say as I cross my arms over my chest, feeling like I am being interrogated suddenly. _How about the fact that you have a crush on him._ My mind shoots at me as my cheeks turn red, as soon as the thought crosses it. _How about the fact you hate Jose and wish that he died._

"You're an open book, then tell me about the bruise on your arm?" He asks as he steps from behind the wheel, pulls my sweater up slightly revealing the yellow marks on my wrist in the form of Jose's hand.

"I'm clumsy. I already said that."

"And what? You ran into a hand."

"No," I grumble as I sit on the deck, staring at him.

"How long as he been doing that to you?"

"He doesn't always do that. It is only when I do something stupid to piss him off."

"Stacia, no one deserves to be hit. No man should ever hit a woman." I don't answer him. I know that. My parents taught me better than that. Those things that I told Grey are the things that I tell myself, trying to justify his actions towards me.

After an afternoon of sailing, and sitting in the sun, Grey, anchors the boat. He motions to the lower deck, and asks "You hungry?"

"Sure."

"I'll meet you downstairs in a minute." He says as I leave him to finish anchoring the boat. On the lower deck, there is a little kitchen, a seating area, a bed, and a bathroom. I awkwardly sit on the bench with the table, wondering what we are going to eat. Grey, reappears a few short minutes later, with two fish. "Hope you are in the mood for some fish." He grins as I look at him, wondering if I am going to have to clean and prep fish. As if he can read my mind, he says "Don't worry, I know how to do this. You sit right there." He moves his way around the little kitchen, banging into everything as he grumbles to himself how much more difficult this is. A minute later, Grey puts a tuna fish sandwich in front of me as I eye it, wondering what happened to the two fish that he brought down with him.

"What happened to the fish?"

He grins as he says, "Those are plastic. I just wanted to see the look on your face."

"I thought you had caught them."

"I don't fish. This is the most fishing that I do." He says as he holds up the tin tuna can.

"So this boat, how do you have it?"

"It may have been a gift from my mom. Leila and I were going to get married, sail around the world a few years ago, after college, but things changed when I got my first job." He says as he pours me a glass of wine. I take an uncertain sip as I eye him. He smiles, taking a sip of his own glass of wine, as he says, a smile playing on his lips, "Stacia, if I wanted to kill you, poisoning your wine wouldn't be the way. I would do it."

"And if you wanted to kill me, how would you do it?" I ask as the question slips out of my mouth. I don't know why I am even asking.

He shrugs his shoulders as he says "You're safe with me. I would never kill you." The look in his eyes, makes me wonder how many people he's killed. Then his grin makes me realize that he's probably lost count.

"Why? You told me earlier not to trust you."

"Maybe I was lying. Maybe it is because Jose has the house bugged, and was listening to our conversation.

"You are lying."

"No, I'm not. Look!" He says as he hands me his phone with an app open, showing the dead house inside.

"Are you serious? He has been video monitoring me and listening to everything that I have been doing."

"Yeah, and look." He presses another button and it rewinds to show both, Grey and me, hours earlier in the kitchen talking. I can faintly hear our conversation through the speakers.

"What a weirdo." I mutter as Grey refills my wine glass "Let's talk about something else other than Jose." I say as I down the whole glass. "I think you need to slow down on the wine."

"I don't. I want another glass. This is good." I smirk at him. "You are going to get drunk, then Jose will really be pissed and he will hurt you.."

"I don't think you called Jose today," I say as I dodge the statement about Jose hurting me once again.

His cheeks turn red as he says "Maybe I didn't, maybe I stole you from the house because I wanted to get to know you better, Stacia. Do you love Jose?"

Laughter bubbles up as I shake my head saying "No."

"Interesting, why not?"

"Jose and I, we have a long history, one that is none of your business, Grey."

"Come on Stacia, aren't we friends now. Friends share secrets.

"Not those kinds of secrets, and don't call me, Stacia. I hate that name." I say as I jump off the bench.

He quips a brow at me as he says, "And what would you like to be called? I don't know, you figure it out. Let's go for a swim." I giggle as I strip my sweater off, throwing it onto the floor, revealing a tight black crop top, and I kick my sneakers off. Grey's eyes go to my stomach as he says, "The water is cold. It is December. I think you have had enough of this." He picks up the empty bottle of wine that between the two of us we have finished.

"I don't care," I say as I run up the stairs and sit on the railing, waiting to see if he follows, unlike Jose, who would leave me up here alone. I take in the orange and pink sunset, thinking that maybe this day with Grey hasn't been so bad. Maybe he isn't a bad guy. I turn to find Grey standing at the top of the stairs staring at me. The breeze blowing the wisps of hair into my face as I move the pieces of hair behind my ear, I say, "Have we met before? Something about you looks familiar? You seem so familiar to me."

"I don't know. Have we? I keep asking myself the same question. You look familiar too. Are you going to jump? If you do, are you going to melt, Princess?"

"Princess?" I grin at him, a questioning looking on my face. My cheeks heat at the nickname that Grey gives me. I have never been called Princess before, not even by Jose in our early days of dating. I sort of like it, but I will never tell him that.

"Well, you don't like the name Stacia, and you won't tell me, what you want me to call you, so I'm going to call you, princess." He laughs as he stalks closer to me.

"I'm thinking about telling you what my name is, but I'm not a princess. And, I'm certainly not a sugar cube." I grin as I let go of the railing, stand up, and jump, screaming into the water as Grey looks at me with a surprised expression written across his face like I have lost my mind. The water is freezing. He was right about that. The cold water feels good though, and it clears my tipsy mind. I surface, grinning looking up the boat, expecting to see a pissed off Grey instead, I find him standing on the railing, shirtless. He grins at me as he leaps into the water, joining me laughing. When he finds me in the water, he asks jokingly, "Sorry, did I insult, the princess?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Call me Princess one more time. I might just hit you." I threaten him, a smile spreading on my lips.

"Go for it. It wouldn't be the first and it certainly won't be the last." He says seriously. I drop the subject as I leave him swimming in the water for a few short minutes before I hear, "Hey, we better get going if you want to beat Jose back to the house." I groan, knowing my freedom is over for the day.

Grey helps me up the ladder onto the boat. He hands me a towel and says "I have a pair of spare clothes down in the cabin. Change into them before you catch a cold."

"Thanks," I say, with a tight smile.

In the small bedroom, there is one bed, a chest, and a nightstand. The room is lacking a feminine touch. The bed, is twin sized, with a dark gray, blue, and white strip printed quilt on it. I quickly change into the oversized navy blue sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt with Harvard written in red across the chest. Against my better judgment, my fingers glide over the chest sitting at the bottom of the bed, wondering what secrets lay in it. My eyes widen when I see what is in the chest.

 **Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! What do you think is in the chest that Ana just opened? Next chapter will be up the weekend of September 15. I do have a Pinterest board that I update regularly when I update chapter which includes my inspirations for each chapter. The link can be found on my profile. Until Next Time!**


	8. Chapter 7 The Chest

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 7 The Chest**

As soon as I open the chest, the room smells like Grey is standing right next to me. A warning fills my head, that maybe I shouldn't be going into here, but I lose myself in his scent, of lemongrass and something that smells distinctly like Grey, for several seconds, ignoring the warning. As my mind rights itself, and I go back to the task at hand. I kneel by the chest to take a peek at what is inside it. Inside the chest, are his clothes that he was wearing earlier, neatly folded. In between his folded jeans, there is a gun, that falls to the floor, as I move them onto the bed. The gun feels heavy in my hands, the metal of the gun cool. A shiver goes up my spine. I hate violence. I have seen too many injuries caused by a gun from my time as an ER nurse. I push the gun back in-between his folded jeans.

Underneath his clothes, there is a small photo album. In the photo album, there are a few pictures of him and Leila, during their younger years together. I scan the first few pages of pictures quickly, not really wanting to look at the photos, but my curiosity getting the best of me. Grey and Leila look happy together, smiling in each photo. In one photograph, they are making kissy faces at the camera. They both look young, maybe in college? There are some photos, of what I think, are Halloween pictures, Leila and Grey are laying on the grass, on their stomachs, looking at each other. Grey is dressed as a soldier, and Leila has his hat on her head. Their heads are propped with their hands as they smile at each other. I shut the album, having had enough of the happiness of Grey and Leila. Jealousy raising in my gut. _Why couldn't Jose and I still be like that? Why couldn't that be me in those photos with Grey, instead of Leila?_ I move aside the album, placing it on top of his jeans.

What catches my eye next, is the fact that there are two phones in the chest. _Two phones? Why, Grey?_ I tentatively touch the phones, wondering what secrets he is hiding on them. One phone is on, and that phone is filled with everything Jose related. There are messages from Jose, calls to and from Jose. You name it, it is from Jose. I pick up the other phone, it is off. I turn it on, wondering what secrets Grey is hiding. I go through his emails, most of which, I don't understand because they are written in a code. One email is of particular interest to me, when I find a link to a picture, with a message titled targets' girlfriend. The message, a description of the target's girlfriend, what she looks like, who her friends are, the fact that she has no friends in California, other than a friend who lives with a boyfriend in NYC, and what she likes to drink. The message ends with stay safe, sir. Taylor. _This is stalker level shit, Grey! Who the hell is Taylor?_ I click on the link, wondering who the target's girlfriend is. When the link opens, I find a picture of myself. My jaw drops. I am walking down the street, looking sad, dragging a bag behind me. This picture was taken the day that I left to go visit Kate and Elliot in New York. _Who the hell took that photograph? What the hell are you up to, Grey!_

Next, I go through all of his text messages. Most are from Leila, wondering about something that I can't make out in the texts. I think she is talking about Jose, but I'm not sure. Once again, everything is in a code. I go through his call log, trying to figure out what the hell Grey is up to. Wondering why he has a picture of me in his email. For a moment, as I am snooping, I briefly wonder if this is how Jose feels, every time he goes through my phone without my permission.

Every name, on his phone, has a first and last name attached to a phone number. Then I find an interesting name in his phone, titled Girl from the Airport. I click on the number out of curiosity, wondering who that is, and why there is no first and last name attached like everyone else. My hands shake as I look at the number on the cell phone screen. My heart speeds up. _That is my number. How did Grey get my number? And why does he have my cell phone number listed as Girl from the Airport?_ I stand there staring at the phone as if it will give me all its secrets. _There is no way that Grey and C are the same_ person _!_ Realizing the cell phone won't give any secrets away, I place the cell onto the bed as I begin to wonder; maybe Grey and C are the same person, but they can't be. _Why wouldn't he remember me or tell me that it was him; if it was? And why after all these weeks of living next to him, wouldn't I know that it was the same guy that I met at the airport?_ "Maybe that is why you seem familiar," I mumble under my breath as I move aside a heavy navy blue fleece blanket, to find an Air Force uniform with the last name Williams written across the left side of the chest. The same type of uniform that C was in when I met him, that day in a Detroit airport. Above the Air Force name, tape on the right chest is what looks to be some type of symbol, but I don't know what it could stand for. It looks like a globe with a key, and around the globe is a half wreath. _Maybe Grey and Leila weren't dressed up for Halloween in those photos._ As I am lifting the uniform, to find out what else Grey is hiding on this boat, a knock sounds on the bedroom door, startling me, and sending me into a panic as I attempt to throw everything into the chest like I found it.

"Yes!" I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

"You okay? Are you still alive? You have been in there an awfully long time. You didn't catch the flu or anything from jumping into that water."

"No! I'm fine." I say as I throw open the door. "Just cold." Grey looks at me as his eyes sweep over my body, his eyes finally landing on the red writing of the sweater, on my chest. His eyes linger for a few seconds too long as he says, "You look cute in my clothes. That's my favorite sweater, you know." I blush, as his eyes snap to mine, as I push past him, as he says, gently touching my arm, "I'll be right back, try not to do anything too crazy like jump into the freezing water again. I'm going to go change."

My heart pounds quickly as Grey's skin touches mine, and just as quickly his warmth is gone, leaving behind an icy trail of air in his fingertips wake. My heart continues to beat quickly. Now, my heart isn't beating fast from him anymore. It is from fear, that he will figure out that I went through his things, and that he will kill me for doing so. I sit on the bench, trying to gather the warmth from my body. I curl myself into a ball, trying to slow my fast beating heart, my eyes every few seconds, go to the bedroom door of their own accord. Grey, stays in the bedroom for longer than he should, to change his clothes. I can hear him talking to someone on the phone. When Grey re-emerges, I think I see a suspicious look in his eyes, almost like he knows that I was going through his things, but all too quickly the suspicious look is gone. _Maybe I have a guilty conscious._

"You ready to get back to the house. Jose just called me to inform me that I should be ready to go soon." He says, but as he is talking a grimace appears on his face, almost like he hates his job. A question appears in my mind, it won't stop nagging me. _Why does Grey hate working with Jose so much? After all, he chose to go into the mob, didn't he?_ I had so many questions that I wanted answers to.

Grey, gently takes my hand, as he pulls me to my feet, his body close enough to mine, I can feel the body heat bouncing between us, as he says "I'm going to go start the boat. Thanks for coming out with me today."

"You are welcome," I say, as I feel my cheeks heat, from the close contact between us.

On the ride back to the marina, I ask Grey once again, wondering if Leila is an uncover agent for the Air Force, my mind floating, between the possibility of Grey and C, being the same person. Of Grey being linked somehow with the Air Force too, especially if they are the same person as C told me he was a Major in the Air Force that fateful day in Detroit. I can't let him know, that I know though. He would kill me if he knew, that I knew. "What does Leila do for work?" I ask, my eyes connecting with his for a few short seconds as his eyes leave the water.

"Why are you so interested in Leila all of a sudden? I thought we were finished with the topic of Leila for the day."

"I wanted to know what she did for work. All you told me earlier was that she went to school for art. So what did she do with a degree in art?"

"You know, you ask a lot of questions for someone who Jose says; doesn't care about anyone other than herself."

I roll my eyes as I hear the statement, thinking, of course, Jose would say something like that. I wonder what else Jose has been saying behind my back. "So, you going to answer my question or not, Grey?"

"She works in a gallery as a dealer. Not that it really is any of your business."

"Earlier, why did you say, that if you told me what she did, that I would not believe you? Why couldn't you just answer me honestly, Grey? And if she does work, then how come she is home all day long? I never see her leave."

"You are awful observant, aren't you?." He murmurs to himself as I shoot him a look as he starts talking louder, "Because, maybe I wanted you to believe that she did something cool for a living."

"What gallery does she work for? Is it one around the area?" I ask, generally interested in how long Grey is going to carry this on for. He looks nervous as his eyes meet mine once again, but then something else takes over, and calm appears in his eyes. As he says "No, she works from home. The gallery that she works for, is in Texas. She is here on assignment, to look for some painting at auction next month.

"Oh I see, and working in a gallery isn't cool in your opinion? " I ask.

"I don't know, you tell me?" Grey asks as I shrug my shoulders at him as he eyes me.

"No, being an art dealer for a gallery sounds boring as hell to me. I am all for excitement. Why do you think I work for Jose?" He asks.

"I don't know, because you have a death wish, or want to go to jail because that is where Jose will end up eventually, hopefully. I could only be so lucky." I murmur.

"Don't wish death on anyone. Death can come at any time to anyone. It can be a cruel mistress. I have seen good people die, too young, who didn't deserve to die. People whose deaths will haunt me for as long as I live." Grey shoots at me, killing the conversation of me wishing death on Jose. I want to ask him, what he means. I want to ask him why his voice hardened, but I know he means business. That he isn't going to talk to me about what he has seen, after all, I am only his next door neighbor as much as I wish I wasn't. He has a girlfriend, Leila. I notice Grey visibly stiffen as we approach the dock. I notice his posture change, even his tone of voice changes as he turns into a different person as we get closer and closer to the dock. This must be the Grey that Jose loves so much, who gets people to follow his directions with no complaints, or questions.

Seconds turn into minutes of silence. The wind of the ocean blows my hair into my face. I tuck my hair behind my ears. There is a slight mist coming from the water, blowing into my face, ticking my nose as I try to imagine a world without Jose in it, without Leila in it. A world where Grey and I only exist. A smile on my face appears. I bite my lips to try to keep my smile to myself, as I try to imagine Grey in an art gallery, viewing paintings, talking about what he sees in each of them. I can't see him doing that at all. At least not the Grey that I know. He must have been so different when he was younger, or maybe that is something he does only for Leila because he loves her. "Why are you so quiet, Stacia?" Grey asks, breaking me of my thoughts.

"No reason, just trying to imagine you, standing in a gallery looking at paintings. I can't see it." I giggle, finally.

"What? You can't see me standing in a gallery looking at paintings." He grins at me, as he rolls his eyes, "It sounds like so much fun. Next time I go to one, I will invite you."

"Really?"

"Really." He grins.

"That sounds like fun. When is the next time you are going?"

"When I am dead." He grins, "Or whenever Leila drags me. I would rather have my fingernails ripped out then go to one, but if you would like to go to one. Then I could have Leila bring you with her when she goes to look for that painting on auction."

"Sure," I say. _I was joking. I have no idea about art, other than if it is pretty or not, but the idea of spending time with Leila sounds like a great idea. Maybe, I can see what Grey likes so much about her. Maybe, when I spend time with her, I can ask her if she is undercover._ The questions float, around in my mind.

The rest of the ride back to the marina is quiet. Grey and I don't converse. A million questions swarm in my mind about Leila, about Grey, about me, and about Jose. "Stacia, you alright?" Grey looks at me with concern, almost like he is trying to figure out what is going on in my mind.

"Yeah." I murmur. "Just thinking."

"Well don't think too hard. I knew I smelt smoke coming from somewhere, dear Stacia" He grins at me as he docks the boat.

"Thanks for the great day, but Grey, please don't call me Stacia, anymore. I hate that name."

"Ok, Princess, what would you like me to call you?" And for some unknown reason, when his fingertips touch mine. A shock sails up my spine, as he spins me to look him in the eyes. There is a look in his eyes that I haven't seen before, my mind blanks as I battle with deciding if I should tell him to call me Ana or not. My mouth gets sticky as my eyes dart to his. His eyes are so familiar looking. His lips look so soft. _What would it be like to kiss him?_ "So Princess, it is then?" My heart beats quickly at the sound of his voice so close to me. I feel like he knows the effect that he has on me, as he pulls away, a smirk playing on his lips, as he asks, "How loyal to Jose are you?"

"That's an odd question. I already told you. I don't love Jose." I murmur as I take in his scent. His scent fogging my mind. He smells like sea salt, lemongrass, a hint of shampoo, and something distinctly Grey.

"Loyalty and love are two things completely different." He murmurs as his eyes bore into mine. His fingertips still resting on my arms.

"Care to tell me the difference because to me, they are the same thing. I have no loyalty to him, even if he did help me out during a rough time, in my life. Not after everything, he has done to me and my step-brother, Mason."

"Love is a deep feeling of affection, intimacy, and acceptance of a person. While loyalty is an allegiance or a commitment. They are different, but also the same. Loyalty is needed for trust to exist and trust is needed for love."

"Well let's just say, that Jose and I don't have any of that. We exist together, that is all." I murmur as I turn from him, breaking all contact with him, my mind breaking free, of the effect that he has over me.

I ask, "What about you? How loyal are you to Leila? I have seen her with Jose, and I think, something is going on between them."

"There is nothing going on!" He says, his voice raising slightly.

"Whatever, Grey, but when she ends up in bed with Jose, don't come running to me. I know how he works."

This isn't about Leila and me. This is about you and Jose."

"I don't see how my relationship with Jose, is any of your business," I mutter as I jump off the boat, that it is now docked. I don't understand this line of questioning, and I don't like it. Our great day has been shot to hell thanks to Jose, somehow. I take off, walking quickly to his car, he catches up to me, too fast for my liking. He unlocks the door to the car. Once we are inside, he turns the car on, the radio blasts some pop music. I turn it off, immersing the car into an uncomfortable silence. _I hate Grey. I hate the way he makes my stomach turn to butterflies._ The ride home is dead silent. The only thing that can be heard is breathing. As we turn into the driveway, Grey turns the car off, locking the doors, he looks at me as he says, "Don't trust anyone."

"Why?"

"Just do it." He orders, his voice dropping.

"And what about you?" I ask, my head turning, unsure if I am hearing him right. I look him in the eye, as he tells me not to trust anyone.

"Especially me." He says, as his fingertips slide along my cheek, as my blue eyes connect with his dark gray eyes.

"Why, especially you?"

"Because, I'm dangerous, Princess. Dangerous enough that if Jose knew. . ." His sentence stops as someone bangs loudly, aggressively, on his window. Grey quickly, drops his hand away from my cheek. The one that he was gently rubbing. My head whips to look around him, unsure of who is banging aggressively on the window. My heart beats quickly, thinking that it could be Jose. Instead of seeing Jose, I see an angry, pissed off, looking, Leila, standing there with her hands on her hips. "What the hell!" She yells "Are you stupid? You gave her your Harvard sweater to wear! The one that you always gave to me when I was cold!"

Grey rolls his eyes at me, as he exits the car, as he whispers, "Laters, Princess." A smile falls onto my lips, at hearing his words to me, but then my eyes lock onto Leila, and the smile disappears from my lips as quickly as it appeared. As I slowly make my way up the stairs into the house, Grey and Leila can be heard arguing in their house. I wish, I could keep his sweater, it is warm and smells like him, but I know Jose will find it, and when he does, he will have questions, questions that I am not going to answer, or answers that I don't even have myself. I place his clothes into a paper bag, and stick them into the front seat of his car with a note that reads,

 _Grey,_

 _Thank you for today on the boat. It was fun._

 _-Ana_

As I am signing my name, Ana, I wonder if he will figure out that it was me from the airport because I am almost sure that Grey and C are the same person. I can't believe that I have found C! The thought makes my heart hammer in my chest. Moments after I leave his clothes in his car, I see Leila, go into Grey's car, grab the bag of clothes, take the note out, and rip it up, burning the notes with a lighter. At that moment, I hate Leila, even more than I thought I ever could. The tears, start to pour out of my eyes. I angrily wipe them away. Maybe, I should leave Grey alone. He seems happy with Leila. Maybe, I am stuck with Jose in this miserable life forever.

I pretend to be sleeping when Jose comes home that night, he doesn't bother to wake me, before he leaves to take care of his nightly mob duties with Grey. All I remember is Jose whispering into my ear, "I know you were out of this house with our neighbor, without my permission. I also know that he was back in this house today after I left. There will be consequences come tomorrow when you are awake."

 **Thoughts? Please review and let me know what you think. I will see you all hopefully with a new chapter on the weekend of September 29. Until Next Time!**


	9. Chapter 8 Consequences

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the last chapter and to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. To my guest reviewer who said they were bored with my pairing of Christian and Leila, just keep reading, that is if you are still reading. This is very much an Ana and Christian story if you read my summary. Both just have a history. :) I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 8 Consequences**

I wake the next morning, early, before Jose is home from his nightly mob duties. I call work being a coward, trying to avoid an altercation over what happened with Grey yesterday going out all day. I don't want to deal with Jose today. _How the hell did he find out? Did Whalen say something? Grey said he took care of all that, that Jose would be fine with it!_

I grumble as I wait for someone to pick up the phone on the unit. "Grace, speaking, how may I help you?"

"Grace as in Grace Grey."

"Yes, speaking."

"Great, just who I was looking to talk to." I smile to myself, "Do you guys need any extra help today."

"Of course. We had three call-outs this morning, but are you sure, Ana. You are scheduled to work tonight, too. I don't want to wear you out too much."

"It's fine. I would love to help out. I have nothing going on anyways today."

"You are too kind. How quickly can you get here?"

"Within an hour."

"That sounds great. See you then."

As Grace goes to hang up, I ask, "Hey, Grace?"

"Yeah?"

"You haven't heard from your son lately have you?" I ask.

"No, I am starting to get worried. This is the longest that he has ever gone without contacting me. I hope he is okay." She says I can hear the concern in her voice.

"I'm sure he is fine." I murmur.

"Oh Ana, I do hope so, but we will talk more once you get here."

I smile to myself, as I get ready for work, planning to work a double to avoid an altercation with Jose. My shift at work is going quickly, and before I know it, I am already through one eight hour shift and starting my actual shift when I get a page over the intercom. "Will Nurse Stacia come to the front desk," I grumble, knowing how behind I am on my charting. I quickly walk to the front, wondering what family member wants an update now, when I find Grey standing there, a small smile appears on my lips, I try to bite my lip to keep the smile from showing how happy I am to see him. He is dressed in his clothes that he was wearing yesterday. A smile appears on his face as soon as he sees me. I can't stop a bigger smile from spreading across my lips either. "Hey." He says.

"Hey," I say, and the closer I get, the more I notice, that Grey is slouching slightly, and I notice dark marks, almost like he been hit in the face.

"You busy."

"Kinda of." I whisper, as he pulls me around a corner to give us a little privacy, as he says, "Sorry, but I had to know that you were safe." He sits on the edge of a window, staring down at his feet.

"Safe, from what?" I ask, but his eyes won't meet mine.

"Jose is on a warpath. Be careful when you go home tonight." He says as his eyes slowly move upward to meet mine, a small smile appears on his lips once again. "I should never have taken you out yesterday. It was wrong of me. I know that now. I will leave you alone if that is what you want. If you don't want me to leave you alone, then the consequences be damned." He whispers as the back of his knuckles touch my cheeks. I feel my cheeks heat at the contact of his bruised, hard, skin touching mine.

"Did Jose hurt you, Grey?"

"It's nothing that I haven't experienced before," he whispers.

"Come with me," I say, as I put my hand out, he takes it to stand. He winces as he says, "I have no insurance to pay for this visit.

"It's on the house. What did he do to you?" I murmur as my fingertips run along a bruise forming on his cheek. His eyes, close for a short second, then snap open, scanning the room for trouble, as he says "Nothing for you to worry about."

In the exam room, I find that his knuckles are black and blue, with dried blood on them. I motion for him to take his shirt off. He winks at me as he says, "You sure you just don't want to see me shirtless again."

"As much as that is a sight. I need to make sure that you are okay. That there are no broken ribs or anything."

When Grey takes off his shirt, I notice lots of bruising forming over his chest and back, almost like he has been in a boxing ring.

"I don't think anything is broken. Let me go get you some ice to put on the worse of the bruising. It should help a little with the pain."

When I come back to the room, and hand Grey the ice, the tears form in my eyes at the thought that Jose could do this to someone who he admires so much, who knows what he could do to me. Grey notices as he says, "It is nothing, no need for tears." His fingers catch my tears as he asks, "So, you going to give me an answer, do you want me to stay away from you?"

I don't have time to answer him as a code is called. "I need to go, Grey."

"Go save some lives. Thanks for all the help." He winks as I take off running in the direction the code was called. Finally, I am sitting down, the shift has been chaotic when another page is sent overhead, "Can Ana Steele please come to the front desk."

I drag myself to the front desk, only to find Isaac. "Hey Ana, you have a call on line one."

"Thanks," I say, a smile on my face.

"Any idea who it is."

"Some guy named Jose, he said, you have a family member of his, who is a patient of yours that you are caring for, and he would like an update," Isaac grumbles at me.

"Okay, thanks," I say as I pick up the phone. " ER, Ana speaking, how can I help you?"

"Ana!" Jose's sadistic voice fills my ears.

"Yes," I answer, attempting to stay nice, especially since I am at work with listening ears. "I'm at work, Jose."

"I know, but we still need to have that discussion that you avoided from today. You were gone this morning before we could talk." He says calmly.

"Which discussion?" I ask, trying to play dumb, knowing very well which one he is talking about.

"Don't play stupid with me Ana. It isn't cute! You know damn well which discussion I am referring to. The one that has to do with another man being in my house while you were home alone. The one that has to do with you running out of the house all day with said man without asking permission. You know the rules Ana, and there will be consequences for it." He says eerily through the phone.

"Okay, fine, but I'm in the middle of a double shift, and I can't really discuss this with you right now. I have an emergency coming in. I need to go. We can talk about this when I get home." I say trying to control my voice.

"Fine, but you will pay for blowing me off right now." Jose snaps as I hang up the phone.

The rest of my shift goes off without a hitch. I start the long walk back to Jose's house, I know he will be there waiting to have his discussion about Grey being in the house with me, and for my time of being out of the house. I silently curse Grey out under my breathe, I thought he took care of making sure that I wouldn't get in trouble. I should have known better than to trust him. I make it home faster than I intended to. I enter the house. Jose is sitting on the couch. He is clearly drunk.

"Ana, how nice of you to join us." He says, slurring his words.

"Us?" I ask.

"Yes, the royal us! Me, Myself, and I." Jose says laughing at his own joke.

"Now, I heard from Whalen, who was watching the house yesterday after I left, that our next door neighbor, Grey, came back over. Do you care to share why he came over after I left? Whalen also told me that you ran off with Grey for the whole day to Lord knows where. He won't tell me." He says angrily.

"He left his jacket over here, in the house, Lelia kicked him out for being too loud, and for having to work that night," I say, standing in the doorway, that way I have an exit.

"Liar!" Jose sneers.

"It's the truth!" I say, knowing it is a useless argument. Jose already made up his mind that I am guilty.

"Why did you leave with him? You know the rules, Ana."

"He said, he cleared it with Whalen, who cleared it with you."

"Well, he didn't. He took off with you. He told Whalen that I told him to take you out of the house. Whalen called me to clarify this, but by the time he got a hold of me, both of you were gone, and Whalen had no idea where you were. I was worried sick about you."

"Sure you were," I mutter.

"What did you just say!"

"Nothing, just that, I didn't think anything bad would happen, after all, you trust Grey a lot so why shouldn't I?

"I don't trust Grey, as far as I can throw him, which is why I had to teach him a lesson last night."

"And what lesson would that be?"

"Not to mess with what is mine." He says eerily.

"With what? Your fists." I ask, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Yes, exactly."

"Violence begets violence," I say.

"Why are you so protective of Grey? Are you in love with him? Because if that is the case I will go end him right here, right now." He says as he draws a gun out of his pants. He starts to move off of the couch toward me with the gun. I know Jose. He means business. He will kill Grey if he thinks I have feelings for him.

"No, Jose. I swear. I don't care about Grey at all. We are only friends. I didn't think, letting him back into the house to get his jacket would be a problem. I didn't think you would have such a big problem with it."

"You see that is the problem with you, Ana. You don't think. This is what pisses me off the most about you. You don't use your brain. We could have avoided this whole situation if you had just brought his jacket out to him, not let him into the house, and not left the house with him." He snaps at me.

 _Jose is wrong, we would still be in this situation when he looked at the cameras and saw me talking to Grey._

"Is there anything else you want to discuss, Jose," I ask, trying to soothe his angry mood.

"Yeah, you, to stop lying to me about everything." He angrily snaps.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that you and Grey have a thing going on." He says drunkenly.

"Jose, I think you have had too much to drink. Grey and I, are and were not ever involved." I say as Jose gets off the couch stalking toward me. I back up hitting the wall. He grabs my arm, squeezing tightly. I know come morning, I will have more bruises.

"Jose, stop. You are hurting me," I say as tears rush to my eyes from the pain.

"Stop lying to me, Ana. I know you two are involved. Lelia told me as much. Why do you think she threw him out of the house? She saw the way he was looking at you at breakfast that morning. She told me about what happened in the car yesterday."

"I didn't do anything, Jose," I say sheepishly.

"Whatever! Get out of my face before I do something that I regret!" Jose screams as he roughly lets go of my arm, and punches the wall right next to my head.

I feel mentally drained as I slide down the wall, looking through the window. I want out of this relationship, but I fell like there is no way out. I have no one out there to help me. I need to protect Mason. I run into the bathroom to hide from Jose as he storms out of the door. Inside the bathroom, I lock the door, look at my arm, and I can already see the angry, red and purple finger marks coming through my skin. Through the bathroom window, I see Jose angrily leave the house, Leila isn't far behind him. He pulls her to him roughly, kissing her, then they leave in a car together. I cry myself to sleep that night on the bathroom floor, wishing and dreaming of a different life, one where Jose didn't exist. One where Grey and I could live in peace together.

 **Thoughts? Please review and let me know what you think. Next chapter will be up on the weekend of October 13th, until next time!**


	10. Chapter 9 Confusion

**Thank you to everyone who continues to read and support this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 9 Confusion**

I wake the next morning somehow in bed, feeling like a train has run over me. My body hurts all over, as I try to move my arm to lift the covers wondering how the hell I got into bed. I know that I was in the bathroom when I fell asleep last night. The thought unsetting, somehow Jose got me out after I was sleeping. A cold shiver runs down my spine, the thought crossing my mind; I have nowhere safe to escape him in this house. As soon as my eyes open, I hear, "Good morning, Ana," whispered sweetly into my ear. My eyes move to the left to find Jose laying next to me, smiling at me. He leans, attempting to kiss me on the lips. I quickly move my head, he ends up kissing my cheek instead. He grumbles something under his breath that I don't catch as I say, "Morning Jose." Silently pondering why he is in a good mood today. Why is he being nice? Is he up to something? _Jose is never nice, which means he is up to something in my mind._

Sitting on his dresser is a glass of pineapple juice, he hands it to me, as I sit up, taking it from him, my throat feels raw from all the crying last night. I take a drink, savoring the flavor of the juice wondering if he poisoned it, like the one time he tried to do to Mason to kill him when Mason wouldn't behave and do as he was told. "I'm sorry for last night." He mutters. I quip an eyebrow at him. _Tell that to my angry black and blue bruises on my arms again._ I bite my tongue, not having the energy to start an argument this morning. He continues to say," I'm leaving today for the next two week to go to Mexico to do business, Ana. Leila will be home to keep an eye on you for me, along with Whalen. Last night, after our fight, I went to the grocery store and did all the grocery shopping for the next two weeks so you shouldn't need to leave the house for anything. I called your work, and told them you fell, hurt your ankle yesterday and the doctor was advising you to be out of work for the next two weeks as well."

"You did what!" I ask, flabbergasted as I stare at him and cross my arms over my chest.

"It will be safer this way. Whalen and Grey will be around. Whalen more so than Grey. You will be safe." I shiver at the thought of being watched for two whole weeks by Whalen. Whalen creeps me out. I am secretly happy about Jose being away, but I'm not going to tell him that. Jose will cancel his trip if he knows I am happy he is leaving.

"Grey isn't going with you?" I ask, wondering why he isn't going with Jose if he is Jose's right-hand man and Jose loves him so much.

Grey will be in and out during the next two weeks conducting business around here, I need him to stay here this time. I don't want you going out with him alone. I don't want you talking to him alone unless Leila is present. I need you to keep an eye on him for me, tell me if you see anything funny that he is doing?"

"Why would I do something like that for you, Jose?"

"Because I am beginning to think Grey isn't who he really is. He has been acting funny lately. Yesterday, he let me beat the crap out of him when I threatened to go home and take my anger out on you. A normal person would have fought back, but not Grey, he took all the abuse I dished out. Before I started, he told me to take my aggression out on him if it meant you didn't have to bare any of my wrath."

"Jose, you beat up, Grey? Why would you do that?" I stutter as my eyes widen in shock. I had a theory that it was actually Jose who beat up Grey, but for him to actually confirm it. I feel sick to my stomach as he says nonchalantly, "I was testing his loyalty to me."

"And did he pass?"

"Barely, but I still think he is up to something so I need you to keep an eye on him while I am gone. Report every move, that he makes, every interaction that he has with anyone including you back to me. This will be easy as he seems to trust you for some reason." He grins.

"I don't feel comfortable doing that. I don't want to do that!" I whisper as a shiver goes up my spine.

"Well, if you don't, and I find out you knew something Grey was up to, then I will personally find Mason, drag him back home to California, and I will kill him, in front of your eyes. I will make his death a long, painful one. I can promise you that. I have already tried it once, and he somehow survived thanks to those damn doctors so don't put it past me. Then I will kill you and Grey because I know you have feelings for him even though you try to hide them from me. I can see right through you." Jose whispers sinisterly into my ear as a shiver creeps down my spine. _I hate Jose_. _How dare he threaten Mason, Grey, and even me._ I don't want to do this. Jose leaves the bedroom, walking into the closet, pulling out a duffle bag to pack for his trip. As he walks out the door, I feel like I can finally breathe for the first time in years. My shoulders feel lighter, my mood even seems to improve. My mind floats back to Grey, wondering what my answer to his question would have been, had a code not been called. Would I have said no to him wanting to leave me alone? The truth is I don't think I want him to leave me alone. I want to know why he took the fall for me with Jose. I could have dealt with Jose's anger. I have done it before. I can do it again. I didn't need him taking the fall for me especially when Jose's fists beat him to a bloody pulp. Next time, Jose might not be so kind to him, and he could kill him. I don't think I could live with knowing Grey got himself killed because of me. I throw on a pair of sneakers to go for a run to clear my mind as I step outside the birds even sound happy this morning. I sit on the front porch as I dial a number that I know by heart: the hospital.

"Hello, this is Grace."

"Grace, this is Ana."

"Oh my goodness, how are you doing? I was so worried when Jose called and told me what happened to you. Don't worry, my dear, all of your shifts will be covered for the next two weeks, somehow, even if I have to do it myself."

"You see that is why I was calling. Jose sort of had a moment of insanity before he left this morning when he called me out of work. I am fine. My ankle feels fine now. So I should be able to resume my work schedule starting on my next scheduled day."

"I am so glad to hear that! I was worried that he had done something to you."

"I am fine. Believe me." I say, a smile spreading on my lips, at Grace's concern for my wellbeing.

"We will talk more when I see you at work, but I need to go. We are swamped right now."

"Do you need me to come in?"

"No, take some time off and rest. I will see you on your next scheduled day. That is an order."

"You got it," I say as my eyes shoot to the car sitting across the street that I know holds Whalen, watching me. As I hang up with Grace I take off running. I feel eyes on me, and I hear someone running behind me, my head turns to find Leila running half a mile behind me. I pick up my pace, not wanting to deal with her craziness today. I need a peaceful day to myself. "Ana," She yells, as I round a corner into an alley, a shortcut home. I stop in the alley, wondering what she wants. "What the hell do you want?" I ask, turning around, out of breath.

"Stay away from Grey!" She snaps at me. "He is mine." She pushes me into a wall as she runs by, my elbow grazes against a stone wall, as I say "Bitch," under my breath, rubbing my elbow, the warmth of blood trickling down the skin of my arm. _Jose and_ her _deserve each other._ _They are both crazy!_ I start running home, only to see Grey walking down the road in the opposite direction as me. I wonder if he knows what Leila is up to. He waves at me as I return the wave. That night is my first restful, peaceful night of sleep. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I am asleep, dreaming for the first time since Grey moved in next door about C, wondering what he is doing right now.

I wake with a smile on my face. A knock sounds on my front door, breaking the silence of the house. I peak through the front door to see Grey standing there, looking uncomfortable. As soon as I pull open the door, I regret it, Leila is standing there holding his hand. His arms are wrapped around her waist. I take a deep breath as I fully pull open the door saying, "Hey, whatever it is. I don't want to deal with it right now." _I don't want to deal with Leila right now especially after yesterday._

Grey looks at me with sincere, almost pleading eyes as he says, "Jose called me, and I am needed. Can you please look after Leila while I am gone. She doesn't have many friends in the area. She has been having a hard time since moving to this area with me, and I thought you two could get to know one another maybe go to that gallery showing that I was telling you about. I will try to meet you both there tonight. I know Leila has been looking forward to it"

"Whatever," I say as I step aside letting Leila in. Leila rolls her eyes as Grey is talking. As Grey is talking about Leila and me becoming friends; I stand there wondering if he knows about Leila's activities yesterday, like her pushing me into a wall as she yelled at me to stay away from him. Grey makes no motion to move inside the house, he stays standing outside, probably remembering how much trouble we both got into for him coming into the house without permission from Jose. He kisses Leila on the forehead then quickly leaves, hoping off the porch, avoiding the steps altogether. Leila turns towards me, with a smirk on her face, as she says, "Okay Princess, this is how this arrangement is going to work. You are going to answer my questions with the correct answer, and I will think about not hurting you if I like your answers. Then I will think about going to that stupid gallery with you like Grey suggested we do together to become friends because you want the truth. I don't want to be your friend. I sort of hate you. You are after what is already mine, and what I want." _What the hell. This is a new level of crazy even for Leila._

"What?" I ask, unsure if I have heard her right.

Leila looks at me, like I am stupid, as she says, "You are going to answer my questions, right now."

"Okay," I say, knowing that I have no other choice.

"One: when Grey comes back from dealing with Jose's business and he asks if I was sad without him, you are going to tell him that I was absolutely miserable without him. Two: you and I are going to go to this stupid gallery together to look at stupid paintings together, and we are going to pretend to become best friends for Grey, but that only hinges on your answer to number three.

"And that would be?" I ask, quipping an eyebrow at her.

"Three: I need to know the truth because the way Grey has been looking at you, I need to know did you and my fiance sleep together?"

"Fiance?" I ask stuttering. _Grey never told me that they were engaged._

"Yes, he asked me to marry him last night, and of course I said yes."

"Can I see your ring?" I ask, feeling a deep seed of jealousy taking place in my stomach as she says, "We are going to pick one out together. Now answer my question. Did Grey and you sleep together that day that he took you out on the boat?"

I laugh at her stupid, crazy statement. "Are you crazy? Why would I do that? I love Jose."

"You don't love Jose. Stop pretending, Ana. Jose knows that you don't love him anymore. He told me so, himself. I love Jose more than you love him."

"Speaking of which, when did that conversation happen before or after Jose was shoving his tongue down your throat. You love Grey so much, yet you are making out with my boyfriend."

"Please Ana, we all know that you and Jose aren't really together. He told me so himself. Now answer the question, did you and Grey sleep together on his boat. I know that he takes all the girls to his boat to have his way with them."

"You sound jealous Leila, and jealousy isn't a good color on you, darling."

"Answer the damn question." She says as she backs me into a corner, my eyes move towards the knife on the countertop, her eyes follow mine, as she says, "I wouldn't try it. I will kill you faster than you could even make it to that damn blade. Answer the question."

"Grey and I went out on his boat, and we had a nice day because you kicked him out of the house for whatever reason, I don't care. He said it was because he was being too loud and that you were pissed that he had to work that night. I don't know what you think Grey and I have going on, but we are only friends."

"You better tell him that." She mumbles as her voice get louder, "Jose told me that he caught both of you kissing in the den, feeling each other up."

I stare at her thinking, of course, Jose had something to do with why Leila was acting the way she is."Do you really think that Grey would still be standing if that had been the case? Jose is a very possessive man. I would do well to remember that Leila. I will tell you what happened that day, one more time. We went on his boat, had lots of great conversations. We swam a bit in the freezing ocean, then we ate dinner, and came back here. There never was a kiss between us. Grey and I are friends, that is all we will ever be because he is with you, and I am with Jose."

"Fine, I'm sorry Ana for acting crazy. Do you forgive me?"

"No," I say crossing my arms over my chest.

"I expected that. Do you think we can go to this stupid gallery showing together? I know it would make Grey happy.

"I would like that," I say, wondering what she really is up to.

Half an hour later, I am staring into my closet wondering what you wear to a gallery showing for paintings. My fingers are dialing Kate's number before I even realize it, she will know exactly what to wear.

"Help me," I say as I throw dress after dress onto the bed.

"What's wrong? What did Jose do now?"

"I'm going to an art gallery thing, and I have no idea what the hell to wear."

"Oh wear that killer plum dress that I sent you for your birthday with those nude heels. You will look amazing. You will look like you belong in an art gallery looking at paintings."

"Thanks, Katie." I grin as I pull the dress out of my closet. I strip to my bra and panties, picking out my black satin pair that matches one another. The satin feels smooth against my skin as I step into the dress, it hugs my curves, making me feel sexy. The heels giving me confidence. My hair I leave down in waves, and my make-up I do something simple, never really being a girly girl understanding how to appropriately use it. That is what Kate was around for. As I step out into the evening air, I glance at the dark, parked car across the street. I wave at Whalen as I have been doing since Jose left. I know it will piss Jose off, once he finds out how happy I am without him. I knock on the door. Leila yells "It's open. Come in!"

As I push the front door open, I feel slightly uncomfortable at being alone with her in the house. _What if she tries to hurt me or kill me?_ After what happened this morning, anything is possible. This girl's mood swings are crazy. Grey and her never let Jose or me into their house. I always wondered why that was, but they always seem protective over their space. There are pictures hanging on the wall. Without knowing what I am doing, I move closer to the photos to get a better look. Several of the photos are of Leila with various friends, some of the photos are of her and Grey similar to what I found in that chest on the boat. Leila and Grey in various poses, but Grey is in a military uniform, Leila is not. As my mind floats back to finding those photographs on the boat in that chest, I thought they may have been Halloween pictures. Now, I'm not so sure as I look at the pictures of the happy couple. _Was Grey in the military? Is Grey in the military?_ Tucked into the corner are what look to be graduation photos of both of them. I take particular interest in Grey's Air Force one. He looks angry in it with no smile on his face. My mind floats back to meeting C at the airport. He looks almost identical to him, wearing an identical uniform. There is no way. I have been talking, to this man, and seeing this man daily for weeks and he hasn't said a word to me. _Is that why he seems familiar? Is it because we have met before?_ I must be dreaming. I shake my head, trying to clear the fog, but the pictures are all still there. Sitting on an end table, is a picture of two little kids, a boy, and a girl, kissing as they sit on a truck. I pick up the photo to get a better look. _Do Grey and Leila have kids together?_ "You ready?" I hear behind me. Leila touches my shoulder as I jump, quickly putting the picture down.

"Isn't that cute. That was C and me when we were next door neighbors before everything happened to him."

"What did you just say?"

"That photo is of C and me. Weren't we cute when we were kids? We were next door neighbors before he was placed into foster care because his mother killed herself. We reconnected in high school in math class, actually. I was trying to cheat off him, and he caught me. He offered to tutor me. It was love at first sight for me at least. C, he I think, it took him a little bit to open up to me as he had a rough past, a rough start in life when he was in foster care, but we got through it together. " My head feels like I am drowning underwater as I keep hearing her repeat the name C.

"What's with the military pictures?" I ask feeling brave as I stare at her.

"Shit! I never should have allowed you in here. C is going to kill me." She mutters under her breath.

"Ana, please don't say anything to Jose. Those are in the past."

"Is there more than one Grey or C in the Air Force?" I ask, forcing the question out of my mouth. My mouth feels sticky as my heart rate speeds up.

"No, not that I know of, and I know a lot of people." I can tell that Leila wants to say more, but she can't as I hear the front door whipped open. Grey or as I should say C, walks through the door looking pissed. "What the hell did you do Leila! Are you trying to get me killed or even Stacia killed!" He yells as he grips me by the arm, pulling me out of the house with him. "You will forget everything that you saw in that house. Do you understand?" He says, ordering me.

I shake my head yes, his tone meaning business as I ask, "And what if I don't?"

"Then we will have a huge problem because Jose will not only kill me, but he will kill you as well. Please Stacia, please listen to me for once."

"Why should I do anything that you say? I am tired of men telling me what to say, what to do, or how to act." I say, my anger becoming too much for me to handle

"Stacia, come with me and I can explain everything. I-"

"Grey, save it or should I call you C."

"How do you know my other name?" He asks, a questioning look etching across his features as I scoff, "I have an answer for you to your question that you asked the other day, about whether or not I wanted you to stay away from me. Well, the answer is yes. I want you to stay the hell away from me. Go live your perfect life with Leila because you two are clearly perfect for each other. Full of lies! Leave me the hell alone!" I say as I take off down the steps of the porch. I hear heavy footsteps chase after me. I kick off my heels and take off running. Not caring that I am ruining my tights. I can't bear to look at this man. He has been lying to me for months. He gave me his phone number in that Detroit airport even though he has been with Leila forever. What the hell! My eyes burn as I fight back the tears. I refuse to cry over this man. He probably knew who I was, and yet he never told me who he was. Ever time, I asked why he looked familiar he never said a word. He always ignored the question, changing it.

 **Thoughts on this chapter? Please review and let me know what you think. Things are about to get interesting in the next few chapters. Next chapter will be up on the weekend of October 27th. Until Next Time!**


	11. Chapter 10 Confrontation

**Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and to everyone who commented. Sorry I didn't have time to reply in a timely manner as normal life has been crazy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Don't give up on Grey and Ana. Things are about to come out in these next few chapters which are going to make it very interesting for these two. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 10 Confrontation**

"Wait, Stacia! Wait, please! I can explain!" I hear yelled after me with hurried, heavy footsteps. I don't stop. I don't want to hear another lie come out of his mouth. My mind and my heart can't handle it. I let him in, and he, as much as I don't want to admit it to myself wormed his way into my heart. I was starting to fall for Grey, the thought slammed into the front of my mind as my lip quivered. I worked hard on building a wall around my heart, but somehow Grey got in. I had started dreaming about a better life with him. One where there was no Leila, one where there was no Jose, one where there was just us living in peace together. Tears pool into my eyes as I realize that, that future that I was dreaming of; was gone with him. I was making everything up, he and Leila are very involved; if those pictures on their walls are any indication. I am tired of being lied to by everyone in my life. My ribs hurt from all the running as I push the air from my lungs, running with nowhere to go. I have nowhere safe to go, no one I can trust anymore. I thought I could trust Grey, now I don't think I can. My mind reels with the confusion of everything that has happened these past weeks and months in my life.

Suddenly, a pair of hands wraps around my waist, pulling me to a stop, spinning me to see a frazzled looking Grey. He pushes his hair back into place as he whispers, "Come with me, please!"

"No!" I shout, not wanting to give him the time of day, wanting to get away from him, away from his lies that he has been telling me.

"Please Stacia, I need to talk to you. Let me explain."

"Grey, your time to explain has come and gone."

"That may be true, but I did take a beating for you. You owe me a chance to let me explain. Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Yes, and I will be eternally grateful for you for taking that punishment, but I'm sorry no, I don't think. . ."

"Yes, you do." He says interrupting me mid-sentence. "Now come with me." He says as he places his hand into the empty space between us.

"And what if I don't want to?" I ask, quipping an eyebrow at him.

"Then I will force you. I will pick you, and throw you over my shoulder. You don't look that heavy." He smirks at me as he grabs a hold of my hand, pulling me close to him. My body slams into his. I want to fight against him as my chest makes contact with his, as he touches my upper arms, he whispers, "So Stacia, what will it be? Are you coming with me willingly, or am I picking you up, and carrying you. You owe me the right to explain."

"Go home to Leila, C. Leave me alone! I don't owe you anything anymore. Anything that I thought we were, even if it was just friends. I don't want to be. Even if it was just friends. It hurts too much."

"Please Ana. I want to know how you know my name?" He whispers as his eyes look into mine imploringly. _Wait, What?_ I can hear the hurt in his voice like he is hiding a secret, something that he wants to tell me, but can't for one reason or another. His gray eyes look sad for a quick second as they meet mine as I watch a mask slip over his eyes. His voice becomes hard as he says, "You will let me explain. You owe me. I took a beating for you. Do you understand me? Once you let me explain, if you still want me to leave you alone, then I will leave you alone as much as I don't want to. Are you willing to come with me, or am I really going to have to pick you up like a two-year-old?"

"You wouldn't!" I scream at him, annoyed that he would even think, or ask such a thing. Before I can shoot another sarcastic remark at him, he hoists me over his shoulder as I yell, "Put me down!" I pound against his back.

He tightens his hold on my legs as he grumbles, "No." I move to kick him in the stomach, as he mumbles sarcastically, "You are acting very mature Ana." _Wait did he just say my name? How does he know my name? Does he remember me?_

"What did you just call me?"

"Nothing." He says as I say, "Put me down. You are being an asshole. You are making a scene." He motions to an elderly neighbor, who is standing on her porch, who came out to see what the commotion on the street was about. "The only one making a scene is you, and you call me an asshole." Grey says, laughing as he waves at an elderly neighbor, who I have seen him help many times, who asks, "Is everything all right dear?"

"Just fine, lovers quarrel is all." His voice light as I roll my eyes.

"How about you put me down, we both agree we are assholes, and you are over-reacting Mr. Control Freak."

"How about we agree to the part of both being assholes. I am not over-reacting, and I am not a control freak.

"Yeah, you are," I mumble.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"Nothing," I grumble to his back. "You ever going to put me down? I promise I will come willingly, if you, put me down." I say, knowing that I am lying. _I am making a run for it as soon as he does._ My body is buzzing from the contact with his. I mentally scold myself for allowing my body to react this way.

He doesn't respond to my question. He ignores me. A few seconds later, I hear the sounds of a car being unlocked. He gracefully moves me from his shoulder to his arms, cradling me for a moment against his chest. Our eyes meet, and I get lost in them, forgetting why I am mad at him in the first place. He tosses me into the car, hands me the seatbelt, shuts the door, and locks the door behind me. I see him run around the car, jump into the driver's seat, and then he takes off speeding down the road, breaking every speed limit in existence. "Where are we going?" I mumble as I play with the switch on the dash looking for my favorite radio station.

"I already told you, somewhere we can talk, in private."

"You should call your mother. She is worried sick about you." I shoot at him as I cross my arms over my chest, giving up on finding anything to distract me from him, from this situation. The smell of his cologne permeates the air, turning my brain to mush as he glances at me from the corner of his eye. I open the window to clear my mind.

"Noted. I will when I can. You aren't going to jump out the window are you, to get away from me?" He asks as he eyes me.

"I'm not suicidal." I roll my eyes at him as he shakes his head, a smirk playing on his lips as he says, "Just making sure." My mind wondering how much he really knows about me, if he made a comment like that, wondering how much Jose has told about my past.

I bring the conversation back to him."Why don't we call your mother right now? We have time. I have my cell phone, and I even know her personal number by heart. She will be most interested in knowing her beloved son is really in the mob right under her nose, living in California, and not living halfway across the country like she believes him to be."

"Stop it! Leave my mother out of this." He harshly says.

"Why?"

"Because there are things that I can't tell you. Things that I can't tell her!"

"What! Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I can't." He says as he roughly runs a hand through his hair, pulling on the ends. He glances at me quickly, as he slams on the breaks of the car in the marina parking lot, sending me forward in my seat. "Because if I did, then you and I would both end up dead."

"Why would we both end up dead?" I ask quietly.

"Stop Ana." He whispers. "I can't tell you that."

"Why would we both end up dead, Grey," I yell at him.

"Because we would! Now come with me. We aren't safe here." He says. Then he opens my door, he has a look in his eyes that I can't read as he asks, his voice gentle, "Are you coming or do I need to carry you again? I won't hurt you." Lies, my brain screams at me, as he says the last part about not hurting me.

"I'm coming," I grumble at him as I eye the boat with disdain. _I'm not getting on that boat. I feel like he will try to kill me for trying to run away from him, for mouthing off at him, and for everything that I know about him and Leila being ex-military._

He reaches for my hand to pull me towards the boat, but instead, I pull away from him, gather a deep breath as I take off running towards the water, preparing to jump. "Really Ana? How far do you think you are going to get? You do realize that I swim and run every morning." He catches me quickly, hoisting me over his shoulder, carrying me over the threshold of his boat. As he places me onto my feet, I slap him in the face for not letting me escape the two times that I tried and for lying to me. "What part of put me down do you not understand? What part of I don't care about you, or I don't want to come with you really, do you not understand? What part of go live your life of lies with Leila are you not comprehending?" I spit at him.

"I'm stubborn. Now sit on the bench and listen to me."He says, his eyes look into mine imploringly

"Why should I?"

"Because, you promised me you would listen to me, Stacia."

"Well, I lied like some other people that I know do." I am ready to explode if he calls me Stacia one more time. _I need to know how he knows my name is Ana. Is it from Peter? Does he remember me from that Detroit airport?_

"I am listening." I say, tapping my foot against the wood of the deck, "But how do you know my name is Ana?"

"Peter." _This man is dense._

"Stop calling me Stacia. My name is Ana. Actually, it is Anastasia. We have met before this, but you called yourself C instead of Grey, and you best tell me the truth about what you are hiding because so help me if you are lying again I will know.

"Tell me how you know my other name! How will you know if I am telling you the truth?" He asks going on the defensive.

"I have my ways," I say as I stand up, trying to look him in the eyes, but I am too short. He leans to look at me with his eyes narrowed, his arms over his chest. He takes a stance that I have never seen before. "Now tell me why I am in your other cellphone labeled target's girlfriend?" I whisper as the angry tears start to escape.

"How do you know about that?"

"When I was changing the last time I was on this boat. I stumbled onto your chest and may have gone through some of your things. Now answer me! Was I just a stupid game to you, this whole time to get to Jose? Poor pathetic Ana. Let's play with Ana, let's befriend Ana! She will help you with getting to Jose. All you had to do was ask, and I would have happily helped you get information on Jose."

Grey gulps as he says, "Wait, you when through my stuff. What the hell did you find! Ana, you put yourself in even more danger."

"Please, I'm in danger just by living with Jose." I snap at him.

"I'm serious, Ana! You are in so much danger now because of doing that. Now tell me what you saw in that chest! What did you find?" I see Grey's eyes move to look at something far off in the distance as if calculating something.

My mind continues to race to try to figure out if Grey is good or not, trying to figure out, who he really is, and what he is up to. "Enough to know that you probably aren't who you say you are, at least I don't think Leila is who she is. I'm not so sure about you. I'm not sure if you are a good guy or a bad guy yet. You are hard to read for me. You say something to me and act one way with me, but then I hear stories with Jose, from Jose, that make me question everything that I know about you, like the fact that you are good with a gun and can get people to follow directions easily. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a good guy, trust me. I care about you, Ana, deeply. Why do you think I let myself get beaten up. I have never done that for anyone. Wait, hold up! You went through both of my cellphones!"

"Yeah, I saw all the photos of you and Leila. I saw everything on both of those cellphones. I saw Leila's Airforce uniform. What the hell! What are you up to? What is Leila up to? Are you trying to get yourself killed? If Jose ever found out about anything you would be in so much trouble! You need to be more careful! Jose is already starting to question your loyalty to him!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because before he left to wherever he went to. He wanted me to watch you, to keep an eye on you and report back to him about your movements."

"Why?"

"I think Leila might be behind that. I think you need to keep a closer eye on your girlfriend, especially where Jose is concerned. She might be spilling information to him about you especially if you are a good guy like you say you are because Jose isn't a good guy. Trust me, I know." I say as I stand to meet him. My eyes barely meeting his mouth. I stand on my tip toes, trying to meet his eyes, to get across how serious this is. C smiles at me, his eyes harden as he grabs me, spinning me into him. "Why did you go through my things, Ana? Leila isn't giving Jose any information. I know that for a fact!"

"I was curious," I murmur. His breath, tickling my neck.

"Leila isn't a bad guy. She is a good guy." He mumbles under his breath as I ask, "How do you do you know for sure?"

"Because I trust Leila with my life. She is my partner is more than one way, and Leila isn't giving Jose any information. Stop trying to get yourself out of trouble. Now answer me, why did you go through my things?"

"I already told you."

"Is that your answer?"

"Yes."

"And for that, I need to eliminate you, unfortunately, because there were things in there you weren't supposed to see."

"What wasn't I suppose to see in there?"

"Things that could wind you and me up dead in a ditch." He grumbles, pulling at his hair, messing it up even more.

"Like?"

"Like Leila's Air Force uniform, all those photos, the contents on those phones."

"I fail to see how all that would wind us up dead."

"Because if you had continued you would have found my Air Force uniform along with my pullover from my time in Officer school. You have no idea the problems you have just caused for me. You have compromised the integrity of my mission, of Leila's mission, and for that, I'm sorry, but I need to kill you. Those are my orders. My orders clearly state that anyone who compromises this mission is to be eliminated. It's a shame because I was really starting to like you and care for you as a human being. As someone who is more than this mission. I was even trying to figure out a way to get you out of your situation unharmed.

"Oh, God!" I whisper. "I'm sorry. I want to just go home. Please, just take me home. I promise I won't say a word to Jose when he comes home. I haven't told him anything yet. I don't plan on it." The tears crest down my cheeks once again as I hear, "Sorry isn't going to help you Ana, and neither is crying." He says as he draws a gun from his pants. He unlocks the safety as he says, "You know I want to go to the moon, but it is time to accept that, that isn't going to happen, Princess."

"I swear on my life, I won't tell a soul about what you just said or what I saw in the house this morning or on this boat. I won't tell Jose. I hate Jose. I wish he would die. I have told you this before."

"Those are just things that you are telling me, trying to save your own life."

"No, they aren't. Here call Kate, my best friend. She will tell you how much I hate Jose." I say as my hands shake, holding out my cell phone, knowing that I am going to be dead come morning.

"I'm not calling anyone." He says as he takes my cell phone, throwing it across the deck into the darkness. "Say goodbye, Ana."

I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath, hoping that death will be quick and peaceful. My eyes flutter open to stare into C's hard gray eyes as he holds the gun in his hand to my head. At that moment, I feel like his gray eyes have seen more darkness than any color eyes that I have ever seen. My hands shake as they touch his chest slightly. "Can I at least ask you one question?" I ask, my voice shaking as I hear him exhale sharply.

 **Cliffhanger I know you all probably wanted to kill me, but this chapter was getting to be really too long and needed to be cut somewhere. What do you think? Please review and let me know. Next chapter will be up on the weekend of November 10.**


	12. Chapter 11 Plans

**Hey, readers here is the next chapter as promised. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and some of the revelations that are revealed in it. Thank you to everyone who continues to read and comment. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 11 Plans**

"What?" He asks impatiently.

"What is the end game? Why have two names? C and Grey? What is the purpose?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" He asks, looking at me with confusion laced eyes.

"What is the end game for you and Leila? Are Grey and C the same person? I met a C in a Detroit airport, who was in the Air Force, and I need to know. Are you him? Leila mentioned a C today at the house. You look just like him, but now, I am not so sure, especially now that you have a gun held to my head. I thought you remembered me when you called me Ana, but then you told me that Peter told you my real name. I don't think that is the whole truth, C, Grey whatever you are calling yourself these days."

"That is more than one question." He snaps at me. I can tell he is growing impatient as he eyes something in the distance. His eyes move to mine as I snap at him, "Answer them all. You are going to kill me anyways. I deserve to know."

"The endgame is taking down the mob that Jose is running. It always has been. I am, both Grey and C. Why does that matter to you?" He asks as he eyes me with suspicion. "Now that I have answered your question, answer mine. How did you know my other name, C? You best answer me, Ana, because my patience is wearing very thin tonight." He says, as his grip on me tightens slightly, only enough to make me know that he means business.

"We have met before C, in an airport in Detroit. Don't you remember? We played War. I told you about my life as a nurse here in California." I say as the tears stream down my cheeks. "You left your damn phone number in my Romeo and Juliet book. I even called you, but chickened out when you answered your phone." At those words, the gun drops out of his hand, clanking onto the deck, as he whispers in wonderment, "Ana. . .Is it really you? Shit!"

"It's me," I whisper as the tears continue to crest down my cheeks.

"How did I not know that it was you after all these weeks of living next to you? How was I so stupid? How did I not see you right in front of me? I looked everywhere for you after I came back to California, but I couldn't find you anywhere. Yet here you are, in the middle of everything." He says as he touches my cheek gently in amazement "Is that why I felt such a strong connection to you?"

"Maybe, but what is everything?"

"I can't discuss that with you."

"Whatever it is. I want in. If it is taking down Jose, as you say, I want to help, please. I can help you. He has ruined my life in so many ways." I whisper as he draws me into his arms, hugging me as he whispers, "Ana, I need to keep you out of this. I need to come up with a plan to get you out of here. We could fake your death, right now. I could make it look like you took your own life. or that I killed you."

"Don't be stupid!" I shoot at him. "I want to help take Jose down! I want to look him in the eye, and I want him to know that I was part of the reason why he is sitting behind bars for the rest of his miserable life."

"You need to be safe, please don't be stupid. My commanding officer can't know that you know what I am up to. If she did. I would be ordered to kill you for real because you are compromising the mission. This is the furthest that anyone has ever infiltrated Jose's organization without being killed. I can't let you help with this, as much as it would make it easier for me. I can't let you get hurt. I can't let you get hurt by Jose, ever again, especially now that I know who you are. I will kill him if he lays a hand on you. Before I started this assignment, I was looking everywhere for you to tell you. . ."

"To tell me what?"

"Nevermind." He mutters as his eyes move to the water.

"I am strong. I can handle it. Trust me. I want to help. Let me help you get information on Jose. I can help take him down with you, and no one will be the wiser that I am helping, please."

"Ana, no. It's too dangerous. What part of, if my commanding officer found out about you, knowing, she would make me kill you, don't you get."

"Your commanding officer will never find out." I whisper, " I will be careful with handing off information. I promise."

"It doesn't matter how careful you are because Leila is my commanding officer." He whispers, "So forget about helping me."

"Leila?" I ask speechless, not knowing what else to say to know. "Wait, the same Leila that lives next door, with you?"

"Yes." He murmurs.

"If she is your commanding officer, and she wants me dead so badly if I know the truth. Then why did she say your name was C earlier? Why was she dropping hints today about your real identity to me when she let me into your house? Is it because she wants you to have to kill me?

"Maybe! I don't know why? Leila has been saying lately, how my head hasn't been clear. She has been complaining about how I haven't been focused on this mission because I have been paying too much attention to you, spending too much time with you, and not spending enough time with Jose. I think she may view you as a threat." He murmurs as I stand there looking at him, unsure what to do next. Everyone wants me dead in one way or another.

I take a deep breath as I say, "The whole situation is dangerous. Either way, I am dead. Once Leila figures out I know the truth, I am dead. If Jose finds out that I am giving you information then I am dead. Let me chose my death."

C, looks at me, painfully as he whispers "Ana, no. I can't let you. I can keep you safe if you let me."

"You can't keep me safe. You can try, but you will fail at the end of the day because Jose always win. You need to take down Jose. I am making this choice for you to help you. Now we need to figure out a good cover story for you to tell Leila."

"Okay, what do you think?" He asks staring at me.

"Lelia needs to believe that I am a stupid infatuated girl who likes you, and that is it. That should throw her off the scent of us working together."

"That might work. She already doesn't like you because she believes that you have a thing for me so that might be enough to throw her off the scent of us working together, but Leila is sharp."

"So do you think it will work?"

"Probably not." He mutters.

"It will. We will have to be extra careful. We can outsmart these two. It shouldn't be that hard, and we can take down Jose together, and I will finally be free from him." I wink at C, "But I need to know before I agree to fully help you, did you only befriend me in the airport because you were trying to get close to Jose?"

"No Ana, I swear. I befriended you because you are an amazing woman. You are beautiful, smart, and funny. You are everything that I could ever want in a woman."

"What about Leila?" I ask.

He avoids my question by asking one of his own instead, "Is there anything I can do to talk you out of this? Out of helping me?"

"No." I smile at him. "Now what about Leila?"

"Leila is the commanding officer on this mission."

"Wait, she outranks you? I thought you were a Major that is what you told me in Detroit."

"You have a good memory." He smirks at me as he continues, "On this assignment, she is the leader. She is a Major too. You are already in so much danger, and not from Leila, just by knowing the truth. especially if it is true that Jose is starting to question my loyalty to him. If he is asking you to spy on me and report back to him on my moves then we might have a problem already. Why do you think that Jose is questioning my loyalty, did he say anything before he left?"

"I think Leila is a double agent." I spit at him. He looks stunned as my words hit him. "I don't trust her especially if she wants to kill me for knowing what you are up to."

"That isn't true, Lelia would never turn against me."

"She is a double agent. Why do you think Jose is starting to question you, now of all times?"

"I don't know. Maybe, I'm not being careful enough." He mutters as he looks deep in thought.

I shake my head saying, "Speaking of which, what do you want me to tell Jose about what you were doing while he was away."

"Tell him that you didn't see much of me while he was gone. That you and Leila spent some time together that is it."

"He won't believe it."

"He will."

"Wait," I say as a thought crosses my mind, thinking about Leila saying something about C being her fiance earlier. I feel like Leila lied about it to make me feel confused. "Are you and Leila, really together?"

"Yes, we have been together for years. She is newly pregnant. I can't believe I am going to be a father. That is what prompted the engagement so quickly. I never really had a family growing up, and now with Leila, I can have one. I wanted her to pull out of this mission, but she is refusing to." As his words sink in, I hit him across the face again. He looks hurt as he rubs his cheek as he says, "Ouch."

"Is the baby even yours?" I ask as hurt etches across his features.

"Of course, Leila would never cheat me."

"Really, are you positive? Jose and she seem to be getting along very nicely." I say as I raise my eyebrow at him.

"How dare you, Ana, even utter such a thing! Leila is trying to get close to Jose as part of the mission."

"How dare I?" I say as I place my hand on my chest. "I know Jose's track record when it comes to women that live next door. Has Leila always been faithful to you all these years?" He doesn't answer. "I'm taking that as a no," I mutter. "I saw Jose and her kissing the other day outside."

"You are lying."

"I'm not. Pull up the stupid camera. It was the day before Jose left. She left with him. I am sure she came back with him."

He glares hard at me as he pulls up the camera footage from that day. "Tell me, does Leila kiss you like that?" He doesn't answer. "So tell me has she always been faithful?"

"No, she hasn't been always faithful, but sometimes things have to be done for the good of the mission. That is why I asked for a transfer from my last base. But, I haven't always been faithful either when on a mission. I gave you my phone number. I never should have done that." He says, as my eyes catch something moving in the distance, closer to the boat.

"Whatever, Grey! You just told me that I wasn't part of the mission in the beginning. I guess that was a lie! You played me! You made me like you. You made me think that you wanted something more from me. I thought you liked me back, but really all you wanted was Jose. I never want to see you again. Just kill me already. I don't want to help you after all," I whisper as I shut my eyes waiting for the bullet that will ultimately end my life from someone's gun. It may as well be Grey's gun.

"Ana, I can't kill you," He whispers

"Okay, then I will do it myself," I say as I pick up the gun, holding it to my head. "I refuse to be a part of everyone's game anymore. I am done."

"I won't kill you. I couldn't bear it," C whispers as he looks like he is going to be sick.

"Well done Ana, but If you don't do it then I will especially now that I know where Grey's loyalties truly lay." I hear next to me." I back up, dropping the gun, my back hitting into C's front as he wraps his arms tightly around me, knowing that voice all too well. A shiver goes up my spine.

 **Whose voice do you think it is? Jose's or Leila's? Thoughts on the chapter. Please review and let me know! Next chapter will be up on the weekend of November 24. It might be up earlier, but I am making no promises. If it isn't up earlier, I want to wish all my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving!**


	13. Chapter 12 The Lelia Encounter

**As always thanks to everyone who took the time to review and to everyone who continues to read the story. Here is the next chapter hope you all enjoy it. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 12 The Lelia Encounter**

Leila hops off the edge of the boat, landing on the heels of her black boots gracefully like a panther, stalking closer to me. I don't trust her after what C just told me. She wants to kill me if I know anything about his mission, and now I know everything. He just spilled the beans to me. I am as good as dead in Leila's eyes if she finds out about what C told me. His arms drop from around me like I am on fire as Leila stalks closer to me, to us, her eyes searching for what, I don't know. Maybe it's to see if I know anything, to see if C has stayed faithful to her, or to see if he has told me anything at all about his mission. I try to maintain a neutral expression, like Grey and I, were discussing the weather just now when she found us on the boat. "Are you done with your drama now, Ana? We all know you aren't going to kill yourself so just stop with the antics!" She says as she quips an eyebrow at me, as she shoots me a look that could kill.

"What are you doing here, Leila?" C asks, sounding annoyed as she says, "I came to see what was taking you so long. When you left the house, you said you would be right back. Then I saw you take off with her in your car. I figured I would find you here, with her. She is always so much trouble." Leila says, her voice lowering sinisterly, sending another shiver down my spine.

"Ana and I needed somewhere private to talk."

"Talk about what?" Leila snaps, as she eyes C with a look of disdain. I wish I could walk up to her and push her off the edge of the boat. Maybe she would drown, but knowing my luck, Grey would jump in after her because he thinks she is pregnant with his baby. I have a feeling that baby, is another lie from Leila. She crosses her arms as she says, "What's the matter, Grey? Trying to figure out what lie to tell me now?" She lifts an eyebrow at him, daring him not to tell the truth to her. They both stare at each other in a silent standoff. I stand there awkwardly, between them, waiting to see, if I am going to die at Leila's hand. Waiting to see if I'm going to be able to help C take down Jose like we discussed, waiting to see if C will be able to keep me safe from Leila even though, I know he won't be able to.

"I told you. We needed somewhere safe to talk. Ana needed to tell me something about Jose."

"Oh really," Her trained eyes turn onto me, "And what did you need to talk about in private with my boyfriend." Lelia snaps at me.

"Jose. He has been acting differently. I'm worried about him. I was wondering if Grey knew what was going on with him." I lie through my teeth, praying that Lelia will buy it, as the reason that Grey and I are at the marina. Leila shakes her head, as she says, "Oh. He is probably just busy. I wouldn't take it personally."

"That's what I was telling her. She is worried that Jose is having an affair or something, but I assured her that to my knowledge there has been no affair." C says as he eyes Lelia, who smiles at both of us, like the cat who ate the cream.

"So Tris, now that Grey told you, you should know, it is the truth. The man can't lie to save his life." She smirks at me as C asks, "Actually Lelia, why are you here?"

"I thought you would like to know, as Jose's right-hand man, that Jose was caught tonight by the police for illegal activities, but I am sure he will get off on technicalities."

My head begins to clear, as I hear Jose, is in jail, as I hear Grey ask, "How do you know this? What kind of illegal activities are we talking about?"

Leila ignores the last part of his question as she says, "He called me as his only phone call. He said he couldn't get ahold of you."

"Why? Why didn't he call Ana?" C asks as he pulls out his phone. I can see his phone. There are no missed calls. _Another lie from Leila_.

"I don't know. Maybe because he trusts me more than her." Her eyes bore into mine as an evil smirk creeps across her lips, sending a shiver up my spine once again. Grey's fingertips rest on my arm as Leila's eyes are drawn to the movement of his fingers as she yells, "What did you tell her? What are you up to?"

"Nothing." He says firmly.

"You are lying Christian. I know you are." She says as she crosses her arms. "Don't forget, I know you better than you know yourself."

"He isn't. I know nothing. Grey and I were talking about. . ." I look to C, unsure what to say, unsure what isn't going to get me killed by this crazy woman. He quickly finishes my sentence as he says, "Ana, and I were talking about Jose and how weird he has been acting. She was asking me if I knew why he was acting odd. I was telling her that he was planning something special for her, next week on their anniversary." Leila looks like she isn't buying it, but she doesn't question it, as Grey shoots her a look to stop her line of questioning with me.

"Can I talk to you Christian?" He moves to talk to her. I can't hear what they are talking about. He moves to leave the boat, walking quickly, leaving Leila and me alone. I feel uncomfortable as Leila's eyes fall on me, a sadistic smile creeps across her lips. "You best watch yourself because I know you know something."

"Know what?" I ask, smiling at her sweetly.

"Don't play stupid with me, Ana." She snaps at me, drawing a gun on me, as I see C return, standing behind her. He says roughly, "Lelia, let's go. She knows nothing. Leave her alone. She is just a stupid girl, who is infatuated with me. It is nothing new that we haven't dealt with before."

She smiles sweetly at him, as she turns to look back at me like she just ate something sour. She moves closer, whispering into my ear, "I know, you know things that you aren't supposed to know. I can read Grey like the back of my hand, and so help me, if you continue to cloud Grey's mind. I will end you."

"Is that a threat?"

"No that is a promise." She smirks, as she turns her back to me, hoping off the boat.

 **What do you think? Please review. Is Leila up to no good like Ana suspects? What does everyone think of the revelation of Jose being in jail now? Next chapter will be up on the weekend of December 8th, and let's just say next chapter things are about the get interesting with a few more revelations to be revealed.**


	14. Chapter 13 Lelia's Visit

**Hey Readers, here is the next chapter of the story. I know it is a little short, but a little bit of a major bomb does happen in this chapter. Thank you to everyone who continues to comment and read this story your support means the world to mean. As always, I don't own Fifty Shades. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 13 Lelia's Visit**

After Leila's threats, I am left standing on the boat alone, wondering how I am going to get home. I shrug my shoulders now that I am left standing there with no one in sight. The marina is silent, the only thing that can be heard is the lapping of water against the boat. As I hop off the boat and begin my walk up the wooden dock, I notice one car still parked in the parking lot. As I get closer to the lot. That is when I notice it is C's car, still parked in the marina's parking lot, but he isn't inside of it. My eyes catch something silver on the seat as I try to door, wondering if maybe I can figure out how to hotwire this expensive car, maybe something that Jose taught me all those years ago will finally pay off. The door opens with no effort at all. There is a ripped piece of paper attached to a car key with an address of 30 El Portal, Sausalito, 20:00, tomorrow. I google the address, it is of a hotel called The Inn Above Tide. There is a short note on the back of the piece of paper in neat handwriting saying:

 _Ana, let's start over from the beginning. Meet me at the address that I provided, bring a change of clothes. Keep my car safe until then. Be safe and watch your back. Stay away from Lelia. I heard her threaten you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I will be out of town until you see me tomorrow.~C_

"What the hell did I just get myself into?" I mumble as I grab the key from the leather seat, sink into the seat, and start the car. I speed down the road, enjoying how fast this car can go, wishing one day that I could have a car like this. "Maybe one day." I grin to myself as my fingertips slide over the leather of the steering wheel as I sit at a red light, I crank the radio on, enjoying the song, singing at the top of my lungs. A car pulls up next to me. I look over, only to see Whalen, looking straight ahead, not paying attention. I quickly grab the pair of sunglasses that Grey has hanging from the visor, placing them on my face, just in time to see Whalen look over. His eyes give me a questioning look as he tries to figure out where he knows me from, but the light turns green and I take off speeding, leaving him in the dust. I head to the hospital to start a shift. When I get to the hospital, I realize that I have no shoes. "Just great!" I mumble as I wonder how I am going to make it into the hospital to my locker where my scrubs and sneakers are sitting. My eyes catch on a pair of nude heels sitting on the floor in the back seat. C must have grabbed them when I took off earlier. I put those on, and head into the hospital. The ER is bustling with sick children, the majority of them have the flu.

"'Tis the season for the flu." Grace sings in a happy mood today as she hands me a face mask after another nasal swab comes back positive on another case.

"Yes, 'tis." I smile as I slip the mask over my face, and head into the room to talk to the parents of my patient, and see how the little guy is holding up.

As I am finishing charting on a patient, Grace appears next to me, a smile on her face which hasn't disappeared all day as she says, "Hey Ana, did I tell you, my son, called me today to tell me he is safe. I am so relieved. He sounded good. This was the longest he has ever gone without communication. He promised me that he would call me again soon. I hate when he falls off the radar like that. I'm so happy to know that he is safe and well."

"I'm so relieved for you, Grace, that he finally called you." I smile at her as I go back to charting, determined to get out on time. As my shift is ending, I hear a page sound overhead startling me, "Ana, please come to the front desk." I ignore the page. There are several people named Ana in this hospital, that page can't be for me.

A few minutes later, another page goes overhead, "Will Ana Steele, please come to the front desk." My heart picks up speed. Who wants to talk to me. C said he was out of town until the next day. Jose is in jail. My mind races as I walk to the front desk. My eyes land on Leila, standing there, I see her before she sees me. I quickly find the recording app on my phone and turn it on as I push the phone back into my scrub top, wondering what the hell she wants. She smiles at me like I am her best friend in the world. "I don't have time for this!" I mumble to myself as I step closer to Leila.

"Hey!" She says, pulling me into a hug.

"Hey, what can I do for you?" I ask, pushing her away. I am not her friend, nor do I want to pretend to be. She looks sad like I am hurting her feelings.

"Ana, I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier today. Grey told me that he told you I was pregnant. These pregnancy hormones are killer, you know."

"Actually, I wouldn't." I shoot at her.

She smiles at me as she says, "I would really like to be friends."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Yes, I would."

"Really Leila, after everything you have said to me and have done to me. You want to be friends?"

"Not really, I am here to warn you again. I want you to leave Grey alone. He is mine!"

"Grey's yours? Since when are people property?"

"Grey isn't property, but leave him alone. Just do it. I know that you are the reason that he came home with bruises a week ago. You are the reason that Jose almost killed him, and he couldn't do a thing about it." She snaps at me.

"Does Grey know that you left with Jose the other night when he wasn't home? When he was out at work? Does he know that you are Jose are kissing each other, probably doing more if you are pregnant."

"You know nothing. Just stay away from Grey, if you know what is good for you!" She says, her voice hardening almost like she is commanding me.

"And what if I don't want to?"

"Then I will make you." She says with a deadly look in her eyes as she moves her purse in front of her. "I wanted to show you this. Look!" She says, pulling out an ultrasound picture from inside her purse. Isn't my baby beautiful." I quip an eyebrow as if to ask her really. "That baby looks awful big for being newly pregnant, Lelia."

She smiles as if she is about to drop a bomb on me as she says, "Grey told me that you have been coming onto him hard, so I thought this would prove to you how solid we are. We are going to have a baby together."

"So he told me, but having a baby doesn't prove how solid you are in your relationship. All it takes is a little-unprotected sex." I snap at her.

"Sure, but Grey loved me enough to let that happen." She smiles at me.

"Are you here to rub that you are pregnant in my face. As I already told you that baby looks awfully big to be newly pregnant."

"It's because I'm not newly pregnant. I have been pregnant for quite some time. I just started showing so I figured I needed to tell Grey before he figured something was up. I recently just told him about the pregnancy. Jose, on the other hand, knew about it as soon as I found out. I was so excited when I got that positive pregnancy test."

"Why? Why was Jose the first to find out Leila? Is that why you were Jose's first and only phone call."

"You want to know why? You aren't stupid Ana, figure it out for yourself." My mouth hangs open as I put everything together figuring out the truth that Leila isn't pregnant with C's baby, but with Jose's baby.

"Why Lelia?" I ask, wanting to punch her in the face, wanting to hear the truth come out her mouth, wanting to know why she would cheat on C with Jose of all people. C seems like a good guy, Jose isn't.

"Because Jose loves me more than he loves you, and he told me so. He wants to be there for me and our baby. Oh, you weren't supposed to know that." She grins at me.

"Won't a baby complicate that. Jose isn't much of a family man. Wait, did you just say the baby is Jose's?"

"Perhaps." She smirks, "But if you tell Grey that the baby isn't his, I will track you down and I kill you because I will know the truth came from you. Oh, and I will track down your dear step-brother Mason, and might even kill him too. Bye Ana, have a wonderful evening." She sings as she walks away, swinging her hips, her hands resting on her small baby bump.

Tears fill my eyes at Lelia's threats as I turn off the tape recorder. It is one thing for her to threaten me if I tell Grey, but it is another thing to threaten Mason, he is innocent in all of this. Lelia is a bad apple. C needs to find out how bad she is. As I clock out, my head pounds with all this new information that I learned from Lelia. Grey deserves to know the truth, but how do I tell him without getting myself and Mason killed in the process.

 **Thoughts on Lelia's secret that she just revealed to Ana? Do you think Ana will end up telling C about Leila's little secret? Do you think Ana will go meet C at the hotel? This story will be taking a short break for the holidays potentially as I don't see myself having much time to properly edit the next chapter that I have currently written. I may update sooner, but I make no promises so as of right now my next scheduled update will be on January 5, 2019. Don't hate me, please. Until then I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


	15. Chapter 14 Hotel Meetup

**Hey, readers here is the next chapter in the story. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who continues to read and comment. I hope everyone had a great holiday season. It went by quickly, but thankfully the hustle and bustle is dying down a little bit. I don't own Fifty Shades. Happy Reading.**

 **Chapter 14- Hotel Meetup**

The next day, I have to myself, having nothing to do. I call the hospital, but they are fully staffed for once. It is a miracle, and no matter how much I beg, Grace tells me to enjoy my day off, that they don't need an extra set of hands. I am a bundle of nerves as I wait for the clock to hit 18:00. I struggle with whether to tell C that Lelia is carrying his baby or not, as I pace the floor, waiting to meet C. I miss him already, and it has only been a day. I want to tell him that the baby isn't his, that Lelia is lying to him, but how do I do that without Lelia finding out that it was me who revealed the truth to him, without him going to Lelia directly after the truth is revealed? Do I write him an anonymous note? This spy stuff is harder than I thought it would be. As soon as C confronts her about the baby, Lelia will figure out that it was me who told him. I am the only one who knows the truth. She will know it was me who told him. She told me that she will kill Mason and me. I feel like Lelia wouldn't lie about that, the glee in her eye told me as much. Lelia is crazy. I don't care about my life, that is why I agreed to help C in the first place, but Mason is innocent in all of this. He doesn't deserve to be dragged into this craziness, especially by someone who is a psychopath like Lelia. My mind continues to race with thoughts that aren't clearing, at all. I eye the rain with frustration. I wish I could go for a run. Running always seems to help me sort through my thoughts and frustrations. "Screw it! A little rain never killed anyone!" I mutter to myself, as I throw on a jacket, and take off into the rain, running.

As I run, my mind feels like the mess that it is, as I try to work through all of my thoughts, frustrations, and feelings about C, Lelia, and Jose. I have never had such troubling thoughts of Jose and Lelia as I have had before today. It is probably because I was somewhat blind to everything that was going on. My mind bounces between Lelia and Jose, C and me, Jose and me, C and Lelia. I need to know if C is loyal to Lelia, and how loyal he really is, especially since I am risking my neck for him. He says he is loyal to her but is he really? And can I flip his loyalty to me?

A small part of me wishes I could go back to that day in Detroit, that I met C, and ask him all the right questions to learn the truth, whether or not he had a girlfriend. Another small part of me, and I am not sure how small that part is, or even how much I want to admit to myself, wishes, that I had never met C, that I had stayed in New York, with Kate and Elliot, to start my life over, to escape Jose. That is a fantasy of mine, one the creeps into my dreams at night.

I stop running, out of breath, letting the rain wash away my insanity. As I flip through my phone, finding Kate's number. I think about how easy it would be to call her, to ask her to run back to New York, to hide away from everything and everyone, to leave C to deal with the mess that he is in. I know that she would hide me, but sooner or later Jose would come to find me as soon as he gets bored of Lelia; he always gets bored of his new girlfriends eventually.

My mind floats to wondering how different my life would be if my parents hadn't been killed as I pull up a picture of our last Christmas together. My mom and dad smiling with Mason and me wearing Santa hats in front of our Christmas trees. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. We were happy, we were a family. My cell phone buzzes, interrupting my memory, a text from an unknown number, a message. It reads: _Ana, see you tonight. Use this number to contact me, if you ever need anything.~C._

My heart flutters as I slip the phone back into my pants. I change directions to return home, only to find Whalen, sitting in front of the house watching. "Whalen," I say as I walk by the car. "Ms. Steele, enjoy your run."

"Yes, very much," I say as I run up the porch steps, only to feel my cell phone buzzing against my thigh with an alarm that I set letting me know that it is time to get ready to met C at our destination, a hotel. Leila's car is still missing from her parking space. It hasn't been there since last night. I wonder where she is? I hope C and Lelia aren't together. No, they can't be. I saw Leila through the front window come home briefly after I got home last night.

I quickly shower, then throw on a pair of jeans, converse sneakers, and a sweater. I load my duffle bag with overnight supplies, not knowing what I need. C wasn't very specific with what I needed to bring with me, but I intend to be prepared. As I hop into his car and speed down the road. I notice Whalen following me in the rearview mirror. My heart speeds up as I try to come up with a plan on how to lose Whalen. I don't need him reporting to Jose about what I am up to.

A highway entrance appears on my right, I bank the car quickly, and push the car to one hundred and fifteen, weaving it in and out of traffic. Horns from frustrated drivers blare behind me as I lose sight of Whalen on the highway, and as soon as I do, my breathing returns to normal as does my heart rate. Maybe this is more dangerous than I thought it would be. Maybe I shouldn't do this, but if I get rid of Jose in the end, it will all be worth it.

As I pull up to the front of the address, C left for me to meet him at, my breath hitches. He is standing out front in a dark suit, a gray tie on. He looks handsome cleaned up. His beard is shaved off, and he is wearing contacts, once again. He looks like first, we met, minus the uniform. As I park the car, a smile tugs at the corners of my lips. My heart flutters for reasons that I wish it wouldn't. He is committed to Leila for some reason, probably because she is pregnant with what he believes is his baby. I plan on telling him tonight that, that baby isn't his. He deserves to know the truth. "Hey you," C says, a smile tugging on his lips, he pulls me to him, hugging me. He smells good, like sandalwood and something distinctly C. "Hey, I wasn't sure how I was going to find you, once I got here."

He grins as he says, "I would have found you. You got your bag?"

"Yeah, it is in the back," I say as I point to the trunk. He moves gracefully around the back of the car, removing the bag for me, as I hand him the keys. He hands them to the valet, and says, "Will you please park this for my wife, Mrs. Trevelyan." _What, wife!_ I shoot him a look like he has lost his mind as he pulls me into his side, and kisses my temple. His lips feel soft as he whispers, "Let's go inside to talk baby." _Baby, what kind of alternate universe did I just walk into?_ His fingers intertwine with mine as he pulls me into the elevator, and I can feel the sexual tension radiating off him. Maybe that is me though. C seems cool and collected. He plays with my fingers as I ask the question that has been plaguing my mind since the boat, "C," he looks at me with adoration in his eyes, a look, that I have never seen him look at Leila with, but then again, I'm not in their home. "I need to know, did you really not know it wasn't me all this time?"

"I wasn't lying to you. I was so tired when I met you, that I remember details of the day that I met you like we played war, and that I talked to a nurse, who lived in California named Ana, but if I had to pick you out of line up, I would have been screwed. By the time I got to that Detroit airport, I had seen thousands of different people, and I had been traveling close to twenty hours. I was beyond exhausted. I had just left Afghanistan on forced leave, and I had a few horrible weeks over there. The worst that I had ever had in my career. I was sent home early for my leave rotation. I was ready to have a mental breakdown. My higher-ups knew it, everyone knew it, but me. Leila knew it as soon as she saw me. Lelia and I weren't on the most steady of ground. We were fighting constantly while I was deployed, on the verge of a break-up, not that we aren't always. Part of me thinks, she purposely got pregnant as a way to trap me in this relationship, as a way to get me to propose, she knows the type of man that I am, that I'm not going to let her be uncared for, or a baby be fatherless and uncared for. My mental health wasn't in a good place when we met that first time, you helped me to see the good in people again, in those few hours that I spent with you. Anyways, enough about me." He grins about me, as he unlocks the door to the room. I lose my breath as I take in the views of the ocean from the room. The room has a fireplace going, soft white carpeting, and a huge bed. C turns to me as he says, "This is going to be our meeting spot. Here is your key card. Your name is Mrs. Trevelyan, and for all intents and purposes here. They believe that you and I are married, here is your ring." C says as he hands me a simple white gold twisted band. It is then, I see on his left-hand ring finger that he is adorning a thin white gold band as well.

"You aren't going to propose to me?" I ask, joking with him.

He laughs nervously, as he says looking around the room, pulling me to the balcony, the sun setting in the distance as he pops down to one knee with the ring still in hand, whispering, "Ana, will you please be my partner on this mission because I don't think I can do this without you. I'm sorry that you have to wear a wedding ring, and that it might make you uncomfortable, but you only need to do it while we are together." My heart picks up speed as I imagine being Mrs. Trevelyan in real life or whatever C's last name really is. I don't think it is Trevelyan, but the thought still brings a smile to my face as I say, "I guess."

"You wound me, Ana."

"Yeah, well your proposal was crap." I giggle as he slides the ring onto my finger, sending shivers up my spine. He stands, moving closer to me, continuing, "Text me on the number that I texted you on earlier. That is my actual phone number. No one, not even Lelia has that one." He smirks at me, "The original one that I gave you in Detroit. We are partners now, Ana. Fake husband and wife. I need you to trust me. Do you trust me? Do you trust me with your life, to keep you safe?"

"Yes," I whisper as I take in the view of the ocean. I feel his body behind mine. His fingers move over my cheek, my eyelashes flutter closed. His fingers feel soft, warm, and my head sinks into them, wishing I could feel them against my skin for the rest of my life. He moves to stand in front of me as he whispers, "Good, because I trust you too, with my life. That is a scary thing for me to admit to, but while I was gone, I thought long and hard about what you said, about Leila and Jose, and I don't trust either of them."

"Wait, where did you go?"

"I needed time to think. I pretended to run Jose's business, but really I needed to get away from Lelia after we left the docks that night. She was going crazy saying that I had betrayed her and the baby by spending time with you. She didn't hear anything that we were talking about. I asked her, but I don't believe her by the way she has been acting. Leila is a good actor, but I can read her like an open book, she is hiding something. She thinks she can read me, but I am a better actor than she is. She has lost it completely. She was acting weird, weirder than she normally acts at least since we started this mission, and I'm not sure if it is the surge in the pregnancy hormones, but this Lelia isn't the one, that I know."

"C, I need to tell you something," I whisper as he wraps his arms around me. I prepare to tell him about Lelia pretending the baby is his. My fingers touch his hard chest first then slide around his waist as I stare into his eyes. He doesn't give me a chance to continue as he says, "I let Leila blindside me. It was just with Leila she was all that I knew and we had a long history together since we were kids, really. I can't believe that she would cheat on me with Jose, but that video that you showed me, was the proof that I needed. She has never kissed me like that."

"I'm sorry C," I whisper, hearing the hurt in his voice.

"Don't be sorry." He whispers, "Don't call me C. It is a nickname. Call me Christian."

"Okay, Christian," I say a smile, gracing my lips as his name pops out of my mouth.

"So Anastasia Steele, will you go to dinner with me tonight, on a date?"

"Yes," I whisper, feeling my cheeks heat under his stare. He kisses my cheek lightly, the heat from his mouth is lingering, long after his lips are gone, as he whispers, "I will meet you downstairs in twenty. Wear something nice." He winks at me, smirks, then leaves the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me alone in the room giddy like a school girl.

 **Thoughts? Opinions? Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Was it worth the wait? Anyways what do you think will happen on their date? What did you think of Christian's fake proposal? Next update will be up on the weekend of January 19.**


	16. Chapter 15 Dinner Proposals

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review and to everyone who continues to read this story. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 15- Dinner Proposals**

I dig through my bag, trying to find the dress that I packed in there. When my fingers finally find the cool fabric of the black dress that I packed safely inside, dreaming about something like this happening on this trip. I yank on the hem of the dress, pulling it to the light of the room. My heart jumps out of my chest when my eyes land on the fabric. I never thought I would have the chance to be seen out in public in this thing. _What will Christian think of me in this?_ I never thought I would ever wear it out, not in a million years. Kate sent it to me as a gift. As I eye the dress, looking at it, like it might bite me, I gather the courage and slide the dress on. The dress is skin tight with a high slit and cleavage revealing. The little bit of cleavage that I have, it shows off very well. _I can't believe I am going out like this. Jose would call me all sorts of ugly names if he could see me right now._

I gather my strength, giving myself a pep talk in the mirror, "You got this, Ana. You are beautiful, and Christian will think so too." Shakily, I step out of the room, and onto the elevator, waiting to see his reaction. I don't have to wait long. Christian's eyes find me in the lobby as soon as the elevator doors open, revealing me. He saunters over to me from the bar, a smile on his face. He wraps his arms around me as he whispers, "You look stunning, but are you trying to make me jealous?"

"No."

"Are you sure, Ana?" He smirks, he almost sounds upset, but the smirk on his face tells me otherwise as he asks, "You trying to make me get into a fight, to defend your honor with all these creeps that are cheeking you out right now?"

"What creeps?" I ask, looking around, only to find a guy looking at my ass. "What is wrong with my dress?" I ask, already knowing the answer to my question.

"It is a little revealing." He grumbles as he shrugs his jacket off, placing it over my shoulders, trying to cover me. I accept the jacket, only because I am cold, I snap, "Christian, Kate gave me this dress. You should know right now, that if this working relationship is going to work, you are going to need to learn that you can not control me.

He smirks at me as he says, "I'm not trying to. I just know what guys are thinking when they see you in a dress like that."

"And what is that?" I ask as he holds the door open for me, taking my arm, placing it into his.

"Dirty things. Inappropriate things."

"Tell me, Christian, are you thinking such things about me?" I ask, as his cheeks turn red, telling me the answer to my question. We take a short walk along the boardwalk to a fancy restaurant, where we are having dinner this evening. We act like a couple on their honeymoon in the public eye, and I find myself almost forgetting that this is all fake, all a game when he takes my left hand, his lips lingering as he kisses my fingertips before we enter the romantic restaurant hand in hand. Christian and I sit at a small private table in the corner across from each other. Our knees touching slightly, sending nervous energy to my stomach. Our conversation is first date material. We don't talk about the mission, about Lelia, or even about Jose. Christian orders a bottle of wine to pair with dinner, and I indulge a little too much in the wine, feeling carefree, and alive for the first time in a long time. I find out about his dislikes and likes as he asks me mine. I try to get Christian to open up about the beginnings of his life when I ask, "So, tell me about the beginning of your life. I know that you and Lelia were neighbors when you were young, what happened?"

He grimaces as he asks, "Do I have to talk about that?"

"No, you don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, but I would like to know everything there is to know about my fake boyfriend or fake husband."

Christian smiles at me, as if he is thinking something over, then says quietly, "What if we weren't fake?"

"Christian, we can't get married." I giggle.

"No, not the whole stupid proposal thing I did earlier, but Ana what if we weren't a fake couple?"

"What are you talking about Christian? How much have you had to drink? Are you drunk?" I ask, eyeing the bottle of wine that we finished together.

"What if we weren't a fake couple, Ana? We can run away together, away from here, away from all of this."

"You aren't thinking clearly. You are in the military, you can't just run away from that."

"Actually, this is the most clearly that I have thought in a while." He says as I cross my arms over my chest, wondering where he is going with this. _Maybe he is crazy!_

"Christian..." I whisper.

He says, staring into my eyes "Fine, okay. Maybe I am jumping the gun, but Lelia and I are done. Ana, you are the one that I want. Since I have started this stupid mission, of trying to take Jose down, you are all that I have thought about. You are the one who I like spending all of my time with, not Lelia. Will you be my girlfriend, for real?"

"Christian. . ." I whisper, my voice tight with emotion as he continues, "But we need to keep it a secret until I can figure out a way to get rid of Leila for good, or figure out a way to raise a baby peacefully with her, and keep you safe."

"I'm not sure, I can be with you even after you said all those sweet things to me," I whisper as tears threaten to overflow from my eyes.

"Why not?"He asks urgently as his eyes bore into mine.

"Because of Leila. I can't be with someone who is committed to someone else. I refuse to be with someone who is faithful to someone else. For years, I have been with Jose playing second fiddle to whatever affair he has been having, and I refuse to be second anymore. I refuse to play second to you and Leila. Can you tell me that I won't play second?" He doesn't answer my question as I continue my rant "Also, because of all the lying and manipulation that you have done since I have met you. I don't really know anything about you. I don't really know the true you. So until I know something about you. I can't be your girlfriend."

Christian takes a sip of his wine as he says, "I believe you, Ana when you say that Lelia isn't with me anymore. Before I left, I put a tracker onto the bottom of her car. I know she hasn't really been home since I left. Do you want to know where she has been?"

"Not really, but I am sure you will tell me."

"She has been at the prison every single day, staying across the street in a hotel, and you can only guess who she is seeing at the prison."

"Jose." I whisper as I take a sip of my wine, glancing at him, as he says, "She isn't faithful to me, and she hasn't been. Not since we started this mission, Ana. I can't trust anyone. I can only trust you. It is you and me in this. That is it." He places his hand, outstretched on the table. I think about taking it as the waitress returns asking, "Is there anything else, Mr. and Mrs. Trevelyan?"

"Just the check." He says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His eyes never leaving mine.

The walk back to the hotel is quiet as I ask again, "So, you going to tell me about your past now?"

"If you really want." He says quietly.

"Yes, I do," I say as he opens the door to the hotel.

"Lelia and I were neighbors when my mom was still alive. My mom was a druggie, who overdosed on who knows what, when I was three or four years old. I can't remember how young I was. I was found sitting next to her dead body on the floor, eating frozen peas on my blanket when I was found about a week later. I was placed into foster care for several years with a young couple named Grace and Carrick Grey, they took me in, giving me a place to live. Grace was the nurse on duty at the hospital that I was brought to, to make sure I was okay when I was found. She always said that she fell in love with me from the very moment that her eyes landed on me. I was happy living with both Carrick and Grace. A man, showed up one day, claiming to be my father out of the blue when I was ten or eleven years old. He told me that he had been looking for me and my mother for years, that she took off with me when I was two. When he asked her to get help for her drug and drinking problems. The courts ruled against Grace and Carrick, giving custody of me to the man who everyone said was my father. The courts didn't care that I wanted to stay with Grace and Carrick. I went with the man who everyone believed was nice, and for the first year that I lived with him, he was. He was kind and loving toward me because social services kept showing up unannounced. On my twelfth birthday, my father started to show his true colors, he was an angry man. He often took his anger and frustrations out on me when he had a bad day at work. He's a ruthless businessman. First, when I small, he would beat me with his fists. I remember one instance in particular, on my twelfth birthday, he got very drunk and angry. He used me to put his cigarette out on. He would occasionally do that, but only when I did something he thought warranted it. As I got older he moved to his fists and his belt. The man is nothing, but a drunk. He doesn't know what love is. Grace saw me multiple times at the hospital, every time she would be there to help me with my wounds. She knew something was up. When I was small, I found my way back to her house, crying, bleeding. She took me in, stitched me back up, made me new again. Dirk, my father, found me and dragged me back home, kicking and screaming the whole way. As I got older, the beatings happened more frequently. She offered to call the police, but I didn't want to end up back in foster care. Every time that she would see me at the hospital, she would let me crash at her place, at least it was safe. She would give me a place to run away to when things became too hard at home. When I graduated high school at seventeen and got into Harvard, my father, made me major in business, telling me that if I didn't, then he wouldn't pay for my education. Grace, the same Grace that you know, told me to follow my dreams. I didn't want to do business. I didn't want to be a businessman like my father. I wanted a life full of excitement. I was seventeen and confused. Dirk was pissed when I joined the Air Force to get away from him after college graduation instead of taking over the family company, to get out from under his thumb, to follow my dreams to do intelligence. Grace has always made sure I knew how proud of me she is. Growing up, I never wanted to be like Dirk, and that has pushed me in every aspect of my life, it is why when things get hard, I remind myself that I didn't come this far to only get this far in my life. Carrick and Grace were the only ones who attended my Air Force Graduations, and they will always be my parents even if they aren't on paper."

"Oh My God, Christian! I'm so sorry." I say tears in my eyes, feeling my heart break for the young man who had to endure his father's horrible treatment. I want to hug him, to hold him, to pull him close to me at that moment, but I don't when I see the look in his eye as he stares into my eyes.

"Hey, don't cry for me. I don't want those tears. I don't want your sympathy. I'm okay. I survived, and I am better for it!" He says smiling as he rubs my tears away with his index finger softly.

"Where are you from originally?"

"All over. Originally, my mom, Ella, and I were living in Detroit before I was placed into foster care, then I stayed in Washington State with Grace, but I was born in Massachusetts, and that is where my father, Dirk now lives." He grimaces. "Now enough about that waste of space. We only get so much time alone together." He leads me out to the porch, cradles me into his arms, and whispers into my ear, "Aren't the stars beautiful tonight?"

"Yeah, they are," I whisper as his eyes catch mine, and I get lost in his eyes. His eyes are so beautiful this close up. Our breaths mingle, our lips barely not touching. My heart races, wishing he would move that extra inch and close the gap between us. "Ana, I. . ." He whispers, his fingers move along my cheek as our foreheads touch, our eyes melting into one another. My breath hitches, waiting for him to kiss me. He moves closer, his breath ghosting over my lips. My eyes close as my fingers skate along his jacket. The ocean waves can be heard in the distance and the distinct buzzing of a cell phone. The buzzing of the cell phone breaks the moment as Christian moves away from me to take the call. When he returns, his face looks grim as he says, "That was Jose's lawyer. He is being released tomorrow. I guess, there wasn't enough evidence to keep him behind bars."

"What!"

"That is what the lawyer just said." He says as he pulls me into his arms once again.

"No!" I say, panic dripping into my voice as I push him away to grab a tumbler and the bottle of whiskey determined to forget what Christian just said. Jose always ruins a good night. I almost kissed Christian and Jose ruined that. "You want to talk about it."

"No."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go take a shower. Let you absorb the news. If you want to talk, you know where to find me." He mumbles as I down another shot of whiskey. I hate Leila. I hate Jose. I hate that he is being released from jail. I hate that there is no concrete evidence to hold him. I stare into the glass of whiskey, willing it to erase my feelings that I am feeling for Christian. I need to tell Christian about Lelia's baby not being his before it is too late. I know that he said that he wants nothing to do with Lelia, but his heart seemed to change quickly. Why? I need to tell him the truth, especially now that Jose will be out and about. I toss back another shot, needing the liquid courage. I hear the water turn off. I lick my lips imagining Christian soaking wet from his shower. As I stand, the whole room spins. Maybe I have had too much to drink. Maybe this is a bad idea. A smile falls onto my lips thinking about the kiss we almost shared outside, and the perfect night we shared together. I stumble across the room, giggling at my clumsiness. I bang on the bathroom door, loudly, when he answers, "Give me a second." I push the door open with a smirk on my lips. I lick my lips again at the sight of him, wet, as he quickly slides his sweatpants up onto his hips. Too bad it wasn't just a towel. The thought crosses my mind. "Ana, what-" He asks as I move into the bedroom room, following him. I swing the bathroom door shut. It bangs, rattling the frame.

"You owe me an explanation!"

"An explanation for what? What did I do now, that you are confused about? I thought we finally cleared the air."

"An explanation about why you are so hot. I need to know how you feel about me before I decide on my answer." I giggle as he rolls his eyes to himself asking, "Are you drunk?"

"Maybe," I whisper as I entrap him between my arms against the wall. He makes no move to try to push me away from him.

"I'm not sure, Ana. I feel strongly about you. I have since the day I met you in Detroit. We are partners. We are going to take down Jose, but I'm with Leila until I can figure out how to get rid of her for good. She is still carrying my child."

"Fuck Leila! That baby that she is carrying isn't yours."

"Ana, I know you don't want that to be the case, but that baby is mine. She promises that she has only been with me."

"No, she isn't telling the truth! She has been sleeping around with Jose! That baby isn't yours, Christian. She is lying to everyone including you. Don't you work as like a spy? Look at the clues. How far along did she tell you she was?

"Eight weeks."

"That baby is huge for being eight weeks, in the ultrasound that she showed me the other day. That baby looks more like a sixteen-week baby. Her due date on the top of the scan told me as much. She is lying to you, Christian. Open your eyes! She told me that the baby was Jose's and not yours. She practically told me that she was going to pass it off as yours, listen to our conversation on my phone that I taped. She told me if I so much as uttered a word to you then she would try to kill me and my step-brother. Listen to me, I would never lie to you. I told you. You need to believe me!"

"How do you know, that I'm not going to go to Lelia and ask her about this?"

"Because I trust you, and I don't trust people very easily," I whisper as I stare into his eyes.

"I know Ana, but how much have you had to drink?" He asks as he touches my chin with his thumb. His thumb tugs my bottom lip from between my teeth.

"Enough to give me the courage to do what I am about to do," I say as I rise onto my tiptoes, and press my lips into his, firmly. Christian freezes for a second. Slowly he relaxes into the kiss, his fingertips slip into my hair. My hands run through his hair. A gasp leaves my lips as he bites my lower lip, tugging at my hair as he takes his chance slipping his tongue into my mouth. He tastes like spearmint. Our tongues start to find a steady rhythm with one another. When he moves his mouth from mine, I want to cry. He is a skilled kisser. His mouth draws little moans and gasps from me as he moves down my neck, stopping to kiss me just above my pulse point. He grabs ahold of my legs, hoisting me into the air, spinning us. He pushes me into the wall, pinning me with his hips. His hands move up and down my body as he pulls away, panting, he murmurs "Ana, what are we going to do? I don't want to live a lie with Lelia anymore. I want to be with you. Please, will you be my girlfriend on the down low, until I can figure out a way to get rid of Lelia and Jose."

The room is spinning as he places me onto my feet, and I'm not sure if it is from Christian or from the amount of alcohol that I consumed tonight. "You're spinning. I think. I'm going to faint!" I whisper as I grasp onto Christian's arm, trying to steady myself.

"What? Now?" He asks, but before I can answer him. The spinning stops and my eyes close as I fall against Christian's chest, hoping that I remember the kiss and everything that I told him in the morning.

 **Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter? Was the kiss scene worth the wait? What do you think will happen now that Ana has let the cat out of the bag to Christian about Lelia and her baby's paternity? Opinions on what Jose's release will mean for Christian and Ana's relationship? If you were Ana, would you accept Christian's proposal of being his girlfriend on the down low?** **Next chapter will be up the weekend of February 2. Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 16 Goodbye?

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who continues to read this story, it means a lot to me. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter Goodbye?**

My head is pounding the next morning, my fingers run along smooth, soft sheets. I groan as the smell of bacon hits my nose, my mouth watering, and my stomach growls, the distinct hammer in my head rattling my brain. Christian is sitting on the couch looking at a newspaper with a look of disappointment written all over his face. His eyes catch mine as he says, "Do you make it a habit of always drinking that much when you are out with guys who you claim you don't know very well? Or a habit of attacking them and kissing them?"

"No," I grumble at him. I feel my cheeks heat as I take in his appearance, shirtless, sweatpants hanging from his hips just right. I notice the faint bruise on his chest, wondering how he got it, wondering if that is still from when Jose beat him. My mind floating to the kiss that we shared before my world went black last night as I ask, "Wait, we didn't do anything?" My cheeks heat, even more, fearing that Christian and I had slept together while I was drunk. _As much as Christian is an attractive man. I would die of shame if that happened._

"Drunk women aren't my thing. You can remove the look of fear off your face." He murmurs as he smiles at me wickedly, taking a bite of a piece of bacon between his teeth.

"Then how did I get changed? The last thing I remember was standing, talking to you." I leave out the part about the fantastic kiss. As if he can read my mind, he moves from the couch as he grabs the plate of bacon, ignoring my question. He hands me the plate of bacon as he says, "You drank too much last night. Clearly, you can't handle that amount of alcohol. You vomited everywhere." From the corner of my eye, I see the empty whiskey bottle still sitting on the table. I remember there being at least a third of it left last night. Did he drink it, or did he get rid of it?

"And you changed me out of my clothes?" I ask, my voice peaking slightly, my cheeks redden even further, knowing that he saw me in my bra and panties.

"Well yes, Ana, I wasn't going to let you sleep in your vomit filled clothes. That would have made me a bad fake husband. Plus, I don't want to give the maids an excuse to talk or gossip about my fake wife. This is our meeting spot for the next several months. I would hate to have to find another one."

"Can we talk about how you saw me in my bra and panties? That isn't cool."

"Whatever you say," He grins, "They were cute."

"You shouldn't have seen them! They aren't yours to see!"

"Okay, fine next time you get drunk, and vomit everywhere, I will leave you in those nasty clothes. I will make sure that I put you in the shower, turn the shower on ice cold. That should give you the nice wake-up call that you are looking for, are you happy?"

"Yes!" I grumble at him as I take the plate of bacon that he is holding as I ask, "I'm sorry, but what actually happened last night?" Wanting to hear his version of the details from last night.

He smiles slightly at me as he sits on the bed, moving my hair out of my face as he says, "Ana, will you please put me out of my misery and be my girlfriend for real, on the down low?" I hear the word, down low, it makes me feel dirty, like a hore, like sloppy seconds.

My eyes narrow at him, I say, "No, Christian. I thought you were with Lelia, what happened to your loyalty to Lelia because she was pregnant?" The hammer against my skull pounds harder, louder as my blood begins to boil.

"Why not, Ana? I told you, I want you, and only you. I just need to figure out what to do with Lelia."

"Because Christian, I am not some secret that you get to hide until you figure out what the hell you are going to do with Lelia! Were you not listening to me last night? I am so tired of coming in second to everyone! I refuse to be your sloppy seconds as well as Jose's. I am not going to stand by, and watch you play devoted fiancé to Lelia. I won't. I deserve better than that! You either want me, all or me, or you don't. If you want me, then you best get rid of Lelia quickly."

Christian sits there quietly as I lecture him, as I pace the floor in an extra-large shirt and shorts. "Ana, I'm-"

"I don't want to hear, 'I'm sorry' come out of your mouth. If that is what you are going to say, then save it or shove it up your ass. I really don't care what you do." I shout as I slam the bathroom door shut, locking it.

A gentle knock against the wood of the bathroom door sounds as I angrily sit against it. "Ana, I am sorry." He whispers. When I don't respond to him, I hear him groan and leave the room.

After I shower, I feel slightly better, renewed, ready to start my day. I find a note from Christian. I don't bother to read it. I don't care where he went to. I grab my workout clothes from my bag, determined to go for a run, hoping for some clarity. Running does little to clear my mind today. My mind begins focuses on one thing. I need to get away, away from Christian, and save myself. Christian is pacing the room when I return, looking frazzled when I toss my room key with my fake wedding ring onto the table. "Can we talk?" I ask my eyes on the floor of the room.

"Sure you go first." He says as he sits on the couch, looking defeated. I sit across from him in a chair. I eye him confidently as I take a deep breath. "I want out of this."

"Out of what?" He asks confused.

"Out of this partnership. I thought that I could handle this, but I can't. I am only going to end up hurt, or worse dead, and I need to look out for myself. I have always had to do that in my life."

"Do what?"

"Look out for me!"

"It is what I'm best at. I'm sorry. Good luck with everything." I whisper as I try to hold back the tears from spilling from my eyes as I grab my duffle bag from the floor.

"Ana, wait." He whispers, his voice cracking.

I turn, ask, "What? There is nothing left to say."

"I listened to the conversation on your phone like you told me to last night."

"You shouldn't have!" I whisper, fear dropping into the pit of my stomach.

"Lelia told me, she will kill me, if I told you about the baby not being yours."

"I won't tell her that I found out from you. I will protect you from Lelia, even if it is with my last dying breath." He whispers.

"And that is why I can't be with you. I can't have you dying because of me. I can't live with that guilt."

"Ana, I believe you when you say that Lelia isn't carrying my baby. She is a lying bitch. Lelia and I are done forever. She has betrayed my trust, lost my faith, and my loyalty forever."

I blow out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding as I say, "Well, it's a little too late for you to say all that to me. You are all talk. I need to see some action, Christian. I need to see that you and Lelia are really done."

"Can we still be friends, Ana," Christian asks sadly. I ponder his question quickly. I don't think I can be his friend without wanting to feel more for him. After that kiss last night, after hearing him tell me that he wants me, after hearing my name fall from his lips in a husky voice, after feeling his fingertips on my body. His voice still echoes in my brain, and I can still feel his fingers trailing across my arms. I shake my head, clearing the memory of Christian's lips on mine as I whisper, "I need space. I'm sorry, but-" I can't finish the sentence. I can't tell him that I don't want to be his friend. The truth is that telling him that I don't want to be his friend, would be a lie, not only to myself but to him as well. I don't finish answering his question of friends as I walk out the door, leaving him, standing there, watching me as I walk onto the elevator, the doors close behind me as he says, "Ana."

I respond, "Christian," my heart breaking as his name leaves my lips like this is goodbye.

 **Thoughts? Opinions? Is Ana doing the right thing? Do you feel bad for Christian?**

 **I have some really bad news for everyone: For right now this story is going into a temporary hiatus, and I'm not sure when it will return, but it will. My personal life is too crazy, it has been turned upside down these past couple weeks, and at the moment, I can't balance it all. I don't have time to keep up with and write two stories. For those of you reading O'Hare Affair that one will continue to update as normal as that one is already done and pre-written completely. I need the dust to settle a bit in my life and life to return to my normal crazy. I'm sorry that is all I can say, but this story will return!**


	18. Chapter 17 New Perspective

**Hey Readers, I'm back from my hiatus! Slightly nervous as I don't know if anyone is still willing to even read this story anymore, but Christian and Ana do still have a story to tell. I am still willing to post if anyone is still willing to read. I want to thank my reviewers who were very understanding of the fact that I needed a break due to the craziness in my life. I want to thank Julie and Abybaby1 for checking in on when I would be back with an update, and I am happy to say my life should be getting slightly better now. I don't own FSOG and as always all military-related mistakes are mine. Happy Reading!**

 **I do feel the need to comment on one guest review that I received before starting this chapter. Dear Disappointed: I thought of a million ways since January of how I was going to address your review, or even trying to let this go, but I can't. I don't even know if you are going to read this, but I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update as regularly as you would have liked or preferred. I didn't quit in the middle of my story, I needed a break, there was no need for your harsh words towards me. You have no idea what was going on in my life. You have no idea that since before January and up until recently I have been averaging over 76 hours a week due to being the sole provider in my household, and I was still trying to edit and post this story. Because of you, I almost took this whole story down, but then you would have won in the end if I did. I wasn't going to allow that, I'm bigger than your review. I learned when I was growing up that if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all. I wish you all the best, but before you judge me for putting this story on hiatus maybe you should try taking a walk in my shoes for a day or maybe a week.**

 **Chapter 17: New Perspective**

 **Christian POV:**

"Ana!" My voice falls onto silent ears. The elevators doors slide closed, blocking me from what I'm about to tell Ana: I've already called Lelia to talk to her about the status of our relationship outside of it being a working one. That I plan on holding the information about the baby not being mine, close to my chest, but that I'm officially terminating my relationship with Lelia.

This morning when I woke up, I knew what I needed to do. Ana is all I seem to think about ever, and I needed to talk to Lelia, to ask her to meet me at the house tonight, but when I returned from the phone call with Lelia, Ana locked herself into the bathroom before I could explain myself. I can't stand to see Ana heartbroken over me anymore. I need to fix this, to make it better. I slam my fingers into the down button of the elevator, praying for it to hurry. I need to catch Ana before she disappears out of my life forever. I can't lose her, not after I finally found her again. She makes me feel like I can breathe again like, I can be myself when I am around her.

 _This elevator is too fucking slow!_ I glance down the hallway, finding an exit sign hanging from the ceiling, sprinting to the door with my heart in my throat, my hope rising in my chest, I curse God as I read the sign on the door. _If the door is opened, the alarm will sound._

Sighing, I head back to the elevator, waiting, waiting, waiting. The slow elevator door finally creeks open. I know by now Ana is long gone, but maybe she is waiting for me to run after her like some prince that I know I'm not. "Mr. Trevelyn," the front desk staff girl giggles at me, when she sees me. _It is just skin, darling_. I turn to her, flash her a smile, and ask, "Did you see which way my wife went?"

"Yes, she went out that door." She motions to the side door with a finger.

"Thank you," I say as I quickly walk out the side door, not staying to make any more conversation with the front desk girl, determined to win back Ana, even if it is the last thing I do into the pouring rain. Glancing around the street, I don't see Ana anywhere, her footsteps long gone from the raindrops. "Fuck!" I yell pulling at my hair, my heart plummeting as I realize I lost Ana possibly forever now.

 **Ana POV:**

As I step out onto the street, it begins to downpour. Just my fucking luck! The salty tears begin to pour from my eyes, mixing with the rain. I feel like God is laughing at me. I wait for Christian to follow me, to apologize, as all the guys do in the romance movies, but he doesn't, he never comes. _Fuck him then!_ I pull my phone from my pocket, pulling up a bus schedule, my mind playing with the idea to figure out a way to get to Kate and Elliot on the East Coast. I need time to figure out what I want to do. _Maybe going to visit Kate and Elliot wouldn't be such a bad idea?_ I head off in the direction of the bus station, only to find out the last bus towards the East Coast has left for the day, and the next one doesn't leave until midday tomorrow. "I guess, I'm going home," I grumble to myself, as I hop onto another bus that is headed towards Jose's house.

I cry the whole way back to Jose's house, my face sticky from the salt on my skin, as I think about Christian and everything that I was willing to give up to be with him. By the time I get home, Christian's car is parked in its usual parking spot. I see him peek out the front window of the door. I shoot him a dirty look to leave me alone, as he opens the door. Lelia stands behind him, making a show of holding her nonexistent baby bump. She hugs him from the side, he shrugs it off, as she smiles wickedly at me like she won some game that we were playing. Clearly, it was one that I didn't realize that we were playing. Maybe, I should share with her that her fiance and I were locking lips last night. I decide to keep that information to myself. "Ana," he says his voice tight, controlled, almost like we didn't have a blow-up a few hours ago. He walks by me, his fingers lightly touch my wrist, slipping a piece of paper into my hand, as he moves down the porch steps. He turns, looking at me, and I get lost in his stupid, gorgeous, blue eyes, as he says, "I'm going to pick up Jose, just so you know."

"Lovely," I say, my stomach rolling at the thought of Jose coming home tonight. I push the door of the house open and close it on Christian before he can say another word to me. Not wanting to hear another word come out of his beautiful mouth, hear another lie, or see another look that he has for me. I see the different ways that he looks at me versus Lelia. He needs to get rid of her, and until then, I refuse to be a part of his life, apart of his world. I refuse to play second to him and her. I toss the note from him into the trash, not bothering to read it, not wanting to read his sorries again. The only thing that I want is for Christian to knock on my door, sweep me off my feet, tell me that he told Lelia to get lost and carry me away from this whole situation. As the crumbled up paper lands into the bottom of the empty trash, I hear a ping of metal again metal. Laying in the bottom of the white liner, next to the destroyed note is my fake wedding ring from Christian. I think about picking up that ring and throwing it at his head at that very moment, how satisfied it would make me, but instead, I pick it up and place it into the back of my sock drawer, unable to part with the ring.

 _A knock sounds on the door, I answer it to find Christian, standing there, staring at his feet, a smirk playing on his lips. "Ana!" He slurs as I ask, "Yes, can I help you?" I try to pretend to be mad at him, but he pushes through the front door, clumsily almost falling over._

 _"Ana, Lelia and I are over. I told her I was done with her today. I left her. I want to be with you, only you. I have been so stupid. Please tell me, I haven't ruined our chance together?"_

 _"I don't know, Christian, after everything that we have been through, after everything that has happened." I whisper as he continues," No, I need to get this out. If I don't say it now then I won't, and I am a coward when it comes to you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I have wanted you since you fell into my arms, in the kitchen, since the day I talked to you at the airport. At first, I tried to behave, to stay away, to keep you safe from Jose because I knew if he found out about us, or if you got involved with me or my mission, then we were both as good as dead." He moves closer, hovering over me, "But damn the consequences. I want you, Ana. Jose will be home soon, but I needed you to know how I feel about you before I went back to concealing my feeling." His breath ghosts over my lips as his lips gently press into mine. His hands caress my face, sliding down my body, coming to rest on my sides. Christian's lips aggressively attack mine, as his tongue slides into my mouth, as my hands slide into his short hair, and he pushes me into the wall. He nips at my lips as he grabs ahold of my leg, hitching it around his hip._

 _At that moment, my senses come crashing back to me as I pull away, my chest heaving, "Christian, Jose will kill you if he finds out what happened right here. Oh God! Whalen!" My eyes float to a car, in full view of Christian's and my make-out session. "Christian, you need to run now and run far away, before Jose gets here."_

 _"Come with me, Ana?" He whispers as he slumps back against the wall, looking at me, his fingers still pressed into my waist._

 _"I can't, Christian. I can't even be your friend anymore."_

 _"I can't_ not _be your friend, Ana. You are the sole reason, I am still on this mission. I want to have a life together at the end of this. Please help me save you." He whispers as he looks at me imploringly, as he kisses me quickly one more time._

Heavy footsteps wake me from my dream-like state. The heavy footsteps of Jose, making his way into the house. A shiver runs up my spine at the thought of what prison has done to Jose, of how it has changed him.

Jose is sitting on the couch, his hair is long, and he is unshaved. I run down the stairs in a panic, hoping not to catch hell for sleeping when he got home. He smiles at me from the couch as soon as I walk into view. He moves from the couch, walking towards me slowly, then wraps his arms around me. The awful smell of prison still fresh on his skin and clothing. _Weird, maybe jail did him some good? Yeah right!_

"Ana, I missed you." He whispers as he tugs me to the couch with him. He raises his hand, fear runs through me that he going to strike me, but he doesn't, instead he fixes my hair, and asks, "Did you have a nice nap? I would like to start over. I am sorry that I have been a jerk to you for all these years." My heart drops, I don't give him an answer as I wonder what sort of games he is playing with me, what his motives are for being kind. I play the happy, devoted girlfriend bringing him his favorite beer and supper, fear continuing to run through my mind with every movement that he makes, fear that he might strike me for whatever reason.Jose leaves the house after showering without another word to me. I peek out the window to see Lelia take off closely behind him, and I wonder if Christian noticed that she left the house, and if he did, does he care at all. Not, that I should care what he thinks about anything now!

Christian and I avoid each other for weeks, months, not saying a word to one another. He looks miserable every time that I spy on him through the window. I think about going to him, but every time that my hand touches the door handle, Jose is standing behind me, wanting to talk to me about some stupid nonsense thing. It is like he knows where I am going. I hear Christian and Lelia arguing through the walls as I try to sleep during the day. Their voices loud enough to wake me from a sound sleep. I know that I shouldn't care what they are arguing about, but I secretly do. My mind drifts as I toss and turn on the couch, wondering if Christian is spilling every secret that I shared with him with Lelia about the baby's real paternity, about it not being his, or if he is finally confronting her about all her months of cheating with Jose. A door is angrily slammed shut, I peak out the window, only to see Christian standing at his car looking pissed at the world, and it takes every once of my strength to stay put in the house, to not run after him to make sure he is okay as a friend. One day after a particularly loud argument, Christian doesn't return for the rest of the day, that night, or even that week. I want to ask Jose, but I don't want to bring attention to Christian, and I don't want to bring unwanted attention to myself either, especially since Jose hasn't touched me or yelled at me since he got out of jail.

I think about texting Christian on the number that he gave me. I even start the text, only to delete it a million times. I walked away from him. I shouldn't care about him. He didn't come after me. _Why didn't he come after me? I thought he cared about me?_ He clearly doesn't care about me, as I do him. But, I care about him as a friend, my brain argues as I write another simple text. _Hope you are okay. I still want to be your friend. Let me know that you are still alive. I haven't seen you lately._ My fingers hit send before I have the chance to delete the text.

He doesn't respond. My phone remains silent. Not a word from Christian. "Maybe I was too hard on him?" I mutter as my eyes move to the empty parking spot that belongs to him. _No, I needed him to understand that I wasn't his plaything._ When my phone rings, I jump to answer it, hoping it is Christian telling me he is alive, but it isn't. I deflate when I see who it is calling me. It is Kate, calling, only to complain about Elliot being MIA, only leaving a note on the table. I listen to her complaints, try to really listen, my brain shooting at me, s _ee this is what you would have to deal with if you were really with Christian, and he wasn't on a mission involving you._ I turn my brain off and just listen to Kate go on about Elliot, and all that he misses these days thanks to whatever his job is in the Army, as I try to reassure her that everything will be okay.

My night at work is crazy, the ER is swamped with sick kids. I'm not feeling too hot myself. "Maybe I'm getting this stomach bug too," I say to Grace as I turn to her. She grins at me as she says, "You do look a little pale. Go on a break. I will cover your rooms." I stop to talk to Isaac on my way off the floor, telling him to page me, if anything crazy happens. When I walk into the locker room, the smell of homemade chicken noodle soup hits my nose, making my mouth water. I wonder who brought some for lunch. My stomach grumbles again, my chest sinking as I realize hits me once again with Jose home: I have no money left for lunch. Since his return: I have drained the card I was using to put money on, and I don't want any comments about making extra food to bring with me for lunch. My stomach grumbles loudly once again as I open my locker, to find a huge bowl of steamy soup with a note.

 _Ana, I would very much still like to be your friend. Sorry, I didn't text you back, but it hasn't been safe as my phone has been being monitored. Can I walk you home after your shift tonight? -Christian_

 ** _Thoughts and opinions on this chapter. Please review. Why do you think Jose is being so nice? Do you think prison has really changed him or do you think it is a game he is playing with Ana? What do you think Christian is going to say when he meets Ana tonight after work? Once again sorry for being on hiatus for so long. So my new update schedule for this story will be probably once a month as that is all that I can handle at the moment, but it is better than nothing right? I will see you all in early October with another update if people are still on board to read this story, let me know._**


	19. Chapter 18 Walk Home

**First off, I would like to thank everyone who continues to read and comment on this story. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 18: Walk Home**

A smile falls onto my lips, as I reach for the letter once again from my scrub pocket, reading it for what feels like the hundredth time since I found it on my break with the soup, my fingers running over Christian's loopy handwriting, and for the rest of my shift, I can't keep the smile from appearing on my lips. Every little thing makes me think of Christian. I laugh at every stupid joke every one of my co-workers tells, and everyone questions, why I am so happy. I shrug my shoulders as their words fall onto my ears, only I know the real reason for my smile that I can't shake, no matter how hard I try. _I can't wait to see Christian in a few short hours._

I anxiously await the end of my shift, playing with my fingers as I interact with my colleagues and doctors. I glance at the clock every hour, counting down, the hours, the minutes until I can see Christian again. I daydream about how our conversation on the walk home will go as I chart. I wonder if he will be awkward after how I left him. I wonder how he has been after all these months. I can't wait to see him again, even though in my heart, I know I shouldn't be so excited. I'm worried he will hurt me, disappoint me in the end of things. I wonder if he has changed at all, in all these months, if he has made any progress with taking Jose's ring down since the last time I saw him. Images from that last night are still fresh in my mind, even after all these months later, the way his lips felt against mine as we kissed, the way his hands felt against my skin, the way he looked at me at dinner on our first date, and the way his face fell as the elevator doors closed, separating us. A shiver runs up my spine, as I remember the way his eyes were always on me. The feelings reappear in my chest suddenly as I report off to the next nurse, of how when I was with Christian drunkenly kissing him; everything in the universe swiftly made sense to me at that moment.

I pull his note from my scrub top once again as movement catches my attention as I walk out of the ER. My eyes are drawn to the glass sliding doors of the hospital, waiting for Christian, waiting for him to jump out of thin air as I walk through the door with a black coffee in hand, just the way he likes it, but he is nowhere to be found. My mood dramatically shifts downward. _He forgot, didn't he?_ I take two steps to begin the walk home, my eyes locking on the orange sunrise.

I spot a homeless man sitting near the hospital sign at the end of the street, I hand him the cup of coffee, he smiles appreciatively, waving at me, I walk away, disappointment heavy in my chest with each step I take towards home. I take a sip of my warm earl grey tea wishing it would ease the feelings inside my heart. As I keep walking, I keep expecting Christian to show up behind, to surprise me, but he never does. My ears perk at the sound of a vehicle behind me, and my heart starts hammering in my chest. I turn around, expecting to find Christian's car behind me, my heart plummets when I spot Whalen's car driving close behind me. My mind races as I hear another car drive slowly up then speed around Whalen. My eyes catch the tail lights of Christian's car. I keep waiting for him to return, but he never does. My mood sours even further as the house comes into view, and I see Christian's car parked in the driveway. _I can't believe Christian forgot! He wrote the damn note!_ The banging of the front door interrupts Christian and Jose's quiet talking. I choose to ignore both of them, running and hiding out in the kitchen like a coward. I notice Christian trying to catch my eyes through the doorway, but I ignore him. I can hear him pick up his coffee cup, as he laughs, "I best get going, you gave me a crapload of things to keep me busy for the day."

Movements can be heard behind me as I busy myself, and pretend to make myself some toast for breakfast like I wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation in the living room. "Ana, I'm sorry. We need to talk. I need to talk to you about Lelia and I. We broke up." Christian murmurs, his fingertips touching my arm as he places his cup into the sink lightly. "Christian, I-" My eyes meet his, his words ringing in my ears, my words fall flat on my tongue, Jose asks suddenly, "You, ready," looking directly at Christian. Jose's words more of a command, not a question. Christian drops his hand from my arm immediately as he says, "Whenever you are?" Playing with an invisible string on his shirt.

Jose responds, "Good! Because I have a very large shipment coming in today from Mexico." My heart sinks, knowing what type of shipment Jose is referring to. Jose walks out of the room after throwing the car keys at Christian saying, "You can drive. Oh and Ana, I'll be home late. Save me dinner please." I roll my eyes at his back, he snaps, "Don't think, I didn't see that." Christian smiles at me, I try to contain my giggle from erupting within. My mind is in overdrive wondering if Lelia and Christian broke up because of me, or if he told her the truth; _he knows the baby isn't his_. My mind continues to ponder the thoughts as I fall into the bed. I'm exhausted from the night at work, yawning, thinking about the walk home, and how different it would have been if Christian had been there to meet me like he was supposed to.

 _I feel a presence behind me as I walk home from finishing yet another shift in the ER, it must be Whalen tailing me, the usual. I don't bother to look. I'm annoyed Christian is blowing me off yet again. Suddenly, I feel a pair of hands reach around my waist, pull me against a hard chest, and my eyes are covered by a large hand. I begin to fight off my attacker as a heavenly voice whispers into my ear, "Guess who," my body slacks against his chest as chills go down my spine. "Christian," I breathe as a smile falls upon my lips, "I thought you had bailed on me." He spins me to face him, revealing himself to me. He smiles, "Never, not even the President of the United States could stop that. It is so good to see you again, Ana." He pulls me to him, once again his arms encircling me. I feel safe again as I breathe him in, whispering. "I was worried about you."_

" _About?" He asks, smirking at me, like a cat who ate a bird._

" _About you. You have been missing for months."_

" _That is because Lelia and I broke up. I moved out, and Jose has been keeping me busy with all sorts of business-related things. He is the reason I missed walking you home all those times, and that I almost missed walking you home this time. I think he is might know that I am into you."_

" _What? How? Oh God, we are both dead, if that is the case, our lives are in danger. We need to run away! Lelia is going to kill me if you told her the baby wasn't yours. Jose is going to kill me!"_

" _Ana, relax, take a deep breath! I once told you, I would never let Lelia harm you, and I meant it. I won't let Jose hurt you either." He touches my shoulders gently with his fingertips, reassuringly as he continues, "I told Lelia, our relationship had run its course. We both wanted other things out of it and out of life. I told her, I would give the baby and her the financial support she needed, but that isn't happening. Between us, once the baby is born, I am demanding a DNA test. His hand gently brushes the back of my hand, he smiles slightly at me, sending another round of chills up my spine as he whispers, "I miss you, Ana. I miss talking to you about everything. I miss the person who was my friend."_

" _We can still be friends," I whisper._

" _Can we, after everything? After all the pain and heartbreak?"_

" _Yes," I respond without a second thought in the world. "I have always cared for you Christian, as a friend, maybe even more. I don't know. My feelings are so confusing to me. Maybe, I will never know, but you will always be important to me, that much I do know." I whisper as Christian grabs my hand tightly with his as we walk down the street. His lips meet the back of my hand quickly sending heat into my cheeks as he murmurs, "I'll always be your friend, I would like to be more, Ana," against my hand. The rest of the walk home, he remains silent, and his quiet company is enjoyable, the feeling of his hand in mine is blissful._

I'm startled awake from my dream from a bang of a door, and reality comes back to me as Jose slams the bedroom door open into the wall, and the realization dawns on me: Christian and I are never going to happen with Jose in the picture. Jose sinks onto the bed next to me as he whispers sinisterly into my ear, "I know about you and Grey."

 **Thoughts or Opinions are welcomed! Please review! How do you think Ana is going to get herself out of this one with Jose? What do you think of Christian not showing up as he promised in his note? The next update will be sometime in November. See you then!**


	20. Chapter 19 The Phone Call

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and to everyone who continues to read this story. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 19- The Phone Call**

My breath feels like it has been knocked out of my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut. _I am having a nightmare._ My eyes snap open, Jose is staring at me, a million accusations written in his eyes, he leans close, the smell of alcohol permeates the space between us, as he whispers into my ear, "I know about you and Grey!" _Shit!_

Jose fumbles in his pants pocket for something. An angry look of malice appears on his lips as he pulls my cellphone out. He says calmly, his words measured, controlled, "I always knew you were a cheater, and you used to call me crazy all those years ago." The phone sits between us on the bed, open to a text message, to an unknown number. The message reads: _Hope you are okay. I still want to be your friend. Let me know that you are still alive. I haven't seen you lately. "_ Fuck!"I mutter in panic under my breath

Suddenly, Jose slams his fist into the wooden door, fracturing the wood of the door into a hundred splinters, he eyes me cruelly, as he says, "I should toss you to the wolves." _Please do. Give me a reason to leave._

"Nothing happened, I swear." I whisper, as he yells, "Liar Ana, that is all you are. Explain this message then!" Jose picks up the phone with the text message still on the screen and shoves it into my face to read, my eyes glance at the screen, impassively, I know exactly who that text was to, Christian, but I'm not telling Jose that. This is the reason, I didn't label his number. "Who the hell do you still want to be friends with Ana?"

"Mason?" I reply coolly.

"Do I look like I was born yesterday? You honestly expect me to believe that you sent that text to Mason?" He snaps.

"No, you look much older than twenty-four hours old," I smirk, as Jose crosses his arms, glaring at me, he asks, "Why do you still want to be his friend again? Isn't he, your step-brother?" He raises an eyebrow at me, I rack my brain, trying to come up with a convincing argument, I mumble, "The last time we spoke, we had a disagreement. I decided to be the bigger person, and apology to him."

"Remind me again the last time you talked to your dear step-brother. I couldn't find it on your call log anywhere." My throat feels dry, I respond, "Last week."

"And why is your call log missing?"

"I don't know, my phone often has glitches, it is on the older side." I answer, Jose quips an eyebrow at me, looking like he doesn't believe a word that I have spoken, he responds, "Well, let's call our friend, dear Mason, to see if he will collaborate with your story."

I shrug my shoulders, "Go for it," I prod Jose as he yanks his cellphone from his pocket. He pulls up Mason's contact information, he glances at my screen as he asks, "Why is your number different, than the one I have for him?"

"This is his work cellphone," I lie as Jose presses Mason's contact on his phone. My heart pounds in my chest as the phone rings, but Mason never answers, his phone rolls over to voicemail. Jose doesn't leave a message, instead, he slams his fingers into the red button on the glass screen of the phone. He grabs my phone from my fingertips before, I can say a word, pressing the call button, the number which is Christian's personal cellphone, the one Jose doesn't have access to. My heartbeat can be heard in my ears as the phone dials and dials as Jose places the phone on the bed between us. He crosses his arms looking at me crossly. I gulp as the line is picked up, a male voice answers, "This phone has been disconnected."

My stomach drops back where it belongs as the operator continues to speak. Jose angrily picks up the phone from the mattress, and he throws it, smashing it against the wall. The phone shatters, he screams, "I'm onto you, Ana! I know something is going on between you and someone. It might be Grey or might not be him, but you have someone else on the side, and I have a hunch that it is Grey, that is why he was touching your arm today protectively when I walked into the kitchen this morning. That is why he broke it off with Lelia, that is why he was caught trying to skip out of work early this morning around the time you are normally walking home."

"You are crazy," I yell. Jose clenches his fists as he snarls, "Mark my words, Ana, if I find out, you are screwing Grey, I will make you wish for a quick death, and I will kill both Mason and you, slowly." He slams the bedroom door on the way out. The door falls from the hinges as I sit in the middle of the bed with tears falling from my eyes, shaking with fear, wondering how the hell I am going to escape this prison I am living in.

 **Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. The next chapter will be up sometime in the month of December, most likely before Christmas. See you all then!**


	21. Chapter 20 Dinner Date

**Hey Readers, here is the next chapter in the story as promised before Christmas. Thank you to everyone who continues to read this story and comment. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 20: Dinner Date**

I'm emotionally exhausted walking into work that night from Jose's temper tantrum. I stumble into the locker room, wanting to dump my empty lunch bag into my locker before the beginning of my shift. My eyes catch my appearance in a mirror on the wall. _I look like hell._ I have bags under my eyes like I haven't slept in days. Roughly, I pull open the blue locker door, a note tumbles to the floor, it's in Christian's loopy handwriting. _Will you meet me in the cafe on your dinner break tonight, princess?_

My mind plays with the idea of tossing the note away, of standing him up as he did to me. He told me he was going to walk me home from work, but never showed up! My curiosity gets the better of me. Looking at the note again, my mind recalls all the different times, Christian has ever called me princess since we first met, the memories make my cold heart melt.

The first half of my night at work flies. Before I realize it, I am speaking to Grace, "I'm leaving the floor for a break. All my people are good for now. If you need me, page me." She smirks at me, waving me away, sending me out the door. My feet feel light, bouncy, walking to the cafeteria. Walking into the darkened cafe, Christian is nowhere to be seen. My heart drops in my chest, he forgot again. I need to stop letting him get my hopes up. Jose probably called him away, again. Turning around, my stomach rumbles loudly, having not eaten anything since yesterday. Suddenly, Christian steps out from behind the shadows, he whispers, "I didn't realize your hospital cafeteria wasn't open twenty-four hours a day." I shrug my shoulders, smiling, "I didn't either, I don't come down here much."

He smirks, walking closer to me, "It's a good thing, I came prepared then," he reaches for my hand, continuing, "Will you follow me?" I murmur, crossing my arms, "Why should I? You broke your promise to walk me home!" He blows out a breath, "Let me explain, Ana, I didn't do that on purpose." I tentatively take his fingertips, he squeezes them, I reply, "I guess, but your excuse better be a good one."

He leads me toward a set of doors, pushing the doors open, he pulls me into another darkened room, my eyes are drawn toward a corner booth, sitting on the table, two flame-less candles, I reply, breathlessly, "You didn't need to do this," glancing at him, he smirks, "I did, you deserve it, Ana, I was a complete jerk to you. I stood you up, in the real world, I would never have done that. I would never have acted as I did on our first date, well I would have, but I wouldn't have made you feel like my dirty little secret. I would never have tried to have my cake and eat it too. Jose, I think he might be onto us. I was trying to protect you, to throw him off the scent, so to speak, that is why I didn't get to pick you up the other day. During our separation, you were all I thought about, I broke up with Lelia as soon as I got back from the hotel. It wasn't Lelia, I wanted to kiss anymore, It is you. It wasn't Lelia's eyes I wanted to look into every morning when I opened my eyes, it was yours, I was longing to see."

Confusion fills me, I ask, "Let me get this straight, when you were with Lelia, you wished you were with me?" hoping he isn't playing with my emotions. Christian's eyes meet mine, he whispers, "Yes." I change the subject, pointing at the flame-less candles, giggling, "You are smart for not using real ones."

He grins, "I didn't want to set off any smoke detectors, be responsible for the evacuation of the whole hospital, nor did I want to end up on TV for it."

"Smart guy, that would have surely gotten us caught, especially since Jose is getting suspicious." I giggle, sliding into the booth. Christian pulls out a take-out bag from beside him, he asks, eyeing me, unsure, "You still like pizza, right?"

"Of course, I love it!" I laugh, my stomach grumbles loudly, Christian laughs, "Good because we are having pizza and salad for dinner." My stomach grumbles loudly once again as he talks of the food he brought, he narrows his eyes, he asks, "When was the last time you ate?" I answer, "Yesterday," I don't tell him it was breakfast yesterday since Jose has restricted my food intake at the house, placing me on a crazy diet, telling me I am overweight. _It is after midnight already._

"Why?" Christian asks, pushing the entire box of pizza in front of me. "Why, What?" I ask, wondering where he is going with this. He stares me down, asking, "Why aren't you eating, Ana? What makes you believe Jose is suspicious?"

I gulp, Christian, narrows his eyes at me more, he asks, again, raising his voice slightly, "Ana?" I jump in my seat, answering, "Jose told me I am overweight, that's why I'm not eating. I had an apple for breakfast. It is after midnight, you know. Anyways, He put me on a diet, I can only eat once a day for two hours and only drink water. He called it intermittent fasting or something like that."

Christian angrily snaps, "Ana, he is starving you to death! You are not overweight, you are beautiful, the way you are!" Biting the pizza, I explain to Christina, Jose's tantrum in my bedroom this morning, how he tried to call an unknown number in my phone and Mason. He sighs, "It's a good thing, I disconnected that phone. Lelia was becoming a pain in the ass, she was calling me on it for non-work related things, she doesn't want to accept I broke things off with her." Christian stares at me with an intensity in his eyes, I have never seen, "Ana, we need to remove you from this situation! I don't care if it will risk all the months of work I have done to get evident to take down Jose's ring, I'm not about to have Jose kill you through starvation or something worse before I can finally be with you. I-," his voice drops off, he stares at me with longing eyes. "I, what, Christian, finish your sentence." I prod him.

He takes a deep breath, taking my hands into his, he whispers, "I love you, Ana."

"You do?" I ask, completely surprised he is admitting his feelings to me.

"Yes, I do, more than I could ever love Lelia or anyone. If anything our separation has taught me, it is, I love you, Ana with all of my heart and soul, and I don't want to spend another day without you. I want to take you away from Jose and away from this life. Will you let me save you?"

"Yes," I whisper, his lips crash into mine. His eyes are dream-like from the kiss, he whispers, "We are going to come up with a plan, and you are going to leave him this week." His voice commanding. Christian pulls out a piece of paper and a pen, together we figure out a plan, for my final escape from Jose's house. "I will meet you Friday, here at the hospital after your shift, and we will get you somewhere safe." Christian whispers, pulling me close to his chest. He smells good, like lemongrass and something distinctly Christian. His eyes stare into mine as he leans down, his lips briefly touch mine when suddenly, "Code Blue, ER," is announced over the loudspeaker. "Sorry, I need to go," I mutter, making a run for the ER to the coding person, Christian, smirks, waving his hand at me, "Go save a life, Wonderwoman! I will see you on Friday for your escape to a new life."

 **Thoughts? Opinions? Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Do you think Ana's plan to escape is going to go smoothly? Also thoughts on Christian's confession of love? The next chapter will be up sometime in January. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and a great Christmas for those that celebrate it!**


	22. Chapter 21 Escape Part 1

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. Sorry that I didn't post this chapter sooner. I had some things come up in my personal life that were urgent. To make it up to you all I will post doubly this month. I don't own FSOG. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 21: Escape Part 1**

Escape: the only thing on my mind. I eye the front door, I'm about to walk through after a long shift and another long walk home in the chilly air. I only have to deal with Jose for a few more days. The ending is in sight. Freedom, I can almost feel it, taste it. The days left with Jose move far too slowly for my liking, Friday can't come soon enough. Maybe it's my mind playing with me, but I feel Jose's eyes watch me constantly, like a hawk, watching its prey.

Thursday night, I make up a lie to Jose, informing him, I'm working a double, that should buy Christian and I some lead time. I sneak into my room as Jose grumbles about my need to work too much. My fingers tremble, reaching for my one small duffle bag, I keep hidden under my bed, the one I use when I visit Kate and Elliot.

Quickly, silently, I place the few belongings I have maintained from my life here. Glancing around the room, once my duffle bag is packed. I'm not surprised to find the contents of my life can fit inside this bag. That night, I can't sleep, my fingers playing with my fake wedding ring Christian gave me when we started whatever this is together. My fingertips running the simple, white gold, twisted band between them, wondering what he was thinking, giving this to me. Beginning to feel sleepy, I place the ring onto my middle finger, and shut my eyes, knowing tomorrow, my life really begins.

Dreams, or should I call them nightmares, are filled with the worst-case scenarios, of Jose, figuring out what Christian and I are planning, of Jose killing Christian in front of me, in cold blood, or worse Jose figuring out where I have run to, coming to drag me back to hell on earth. I bolt upright, sweat pouring off me, screaming, no. My eyes glance around the room, taking in, the off white walls reflecting the sunlight for the last time I am ever waking up in this place.

My eyes taking the photo Christian left for me in my locker yesterday. A photograph of a picture from who knows where with a saying: **In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take.** My fingers run over the photograph, my mind begins to daydream of my life with Christian once Jose is gone for good. A yawn escapes from my lips, a small smile tugs at them, thinking of Christian, and the way he makes my heart sing in my chest. My feet hit the cool, wooden floor, I move to hide the photograph in my duffle bag.

I listen for any movement within the house, it is abnormally quiet for this early in the morning. "Jose," I call out, unlocking my bedroom door. No answer. I was worried about how I was going to slip my duffle bag out the front door without Jose noticing. "Jose?" I call again, still no answer. My fingers subconsciously play with the ring. My mind screaming: I should take the ring off, and hide it, in case, Jose comes home. Grabbing a bowl, I decide to make myself pancakes for lunch, starving. Humming a song to myself, my spirits high, not having to deal with Jose today. My mind screams: this is too easy. A knock sounds on the door, sending my heart racing. Who the hell is knocking on the door? My eyes fly to the clock. It is only ten in the morning.

Slowly, I walk to the door, the person knocking, is now banging on the door repeatedly. Swinging the door open, I reveal Lelia. "What do you want?" I snap, crossing my arms, staring at the woman who dares to ruin my good mood. "Where is Jose?" She asks, not answering my question, looking into the house. "I don't know. Shouldn't you know? You are the one sleeping with him every night." She shrugs her shoulders, smirking, "Going somewhere, Ana?"

 _Shit! I forgot to move the duffle bag off the table, it is in the sightline of the door._ She pushes past me, moving toward my duffle bag. I roughly grab ahold of her arm, swinging her toward the door, yelling, "Get out of here, Lelia! You weren't invited in here!" She laughs, grabbing my wrist, her eyes locked on my middle finger. "Interesting, he gave you his mother's wedding band. I was wondering where that band disappeared to, from his chest on the boat."

Tugging my hand from her grasp, her eyes narrow, moving rapidly between me and the duffle bag, her voice serious, "Ana, you aren't running away, are you? You know Jose will catch you, and of course, I will be right there to watch it all unfold, when he kills both Grey and you." I don't answer her question, staring at the floor, replying "Get out of my house, Lelia! I am returning something to Grace at work, not that it is, any of your business." She rolls her eyes, throws her hair over her shoulder, and says, "Ana, just so you are aware, if you do plan on making a move, Jose will be home in an hour. I will think about not calling him and telling him, I saw you run out the door with a duffle bag this morning when he asks about an update on you."

"Who says I am running? I am working a double at the hospital today." I reply, quipping an eyebrow. She laughs, "I would if I were trapped in your situation. Grey is a good man, but don't get too comfortable with him. Just remember at the end of things, he is mine, and we are having a baby together." Her hands falling to her swollen stomach. My stomach drops at her news of Jose coming home in an hour, not sure if I should believe her statement. My mind wondering why Lelia is being nice all of a sudden, and wondering what her game is now?

My stomach sinks, wishing Christian was here with me. He seems to help calm my nerves for some reason. Quickly, I stuff my three pancakes into my mouth, not knowing when my next meal will come. Swiftly, I shower and change into my scrubs, my fingers reach for my duffle bag. My eyes taking in the appearance of the house, I spent years wondering if I would ever leave this place. My feet carry me to the door, still having over forty-five minutes until Jose is expected home according to Lelia. My fingers reach for the door handle to leave forever. When suddenly, a car speeds into the driveway, heavy footsteps run up the porch steps, and keys strike against the lock. The door bangs open against the wall, revealing: Jose. _Shit! I thought I was going to escape without ever having to see him again!_

 **Please review and let me know what you thought. I will post the next part of this chapter sometime this month. What do you think is going to happen now that Jose is home? Why do you think Lelia is really being nice? Do you think Lelia is playing a game like Ana? Do you think Lelia is the reason Jose showed up earlier than expected?**


	23. Chapter 22 Escape Part 2

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter and who continues to read this story. I don't own FSOG and any military-related mistakes are mine. Just a warning this chapter is very violent at least in my opinion. Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 22 Escape Part 2**

Jose's body takes up the entire doorway. His eyes narrow at me into slits like a snake. His eyes snap to my duffle bag resting on my arm, his eyes are drawn to the ring on my middle finger, the one I should have stupidly removed after Lelia saw it, but I thought I was going to beat him out of here. Quickly, I thrust my hand into my back pocket and attempt to remove the ring with my unsteady fingers, all while his eyes rake over me. "Going somewhere, Ana?" He snaps. Gulping, I reply, "Work, remember, I'm working a double today." He crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes, even more, trying to pick me apart at the seams. He knows I'm a horrible liar, but I'm not lying to him. I am going to work, I'm meeting Christian at work, and we are running away together after the first part of my shift. "Answer me, Ana! I want the truth this time! No lying!" Jose snaps at me, commanding me to answer him. Staring at him, I roll my eyes, replying, "I am telling you the truth!" He takes a step towards me, I take a small step back, the smell of liquor coming strong off of his clothing. "Ana, we need to talk." _What if I don't want to talk?_ Instead, I answer, "What do we need to talk about?" Jose leans toward me, I take another step backward, my back hitting into the wall, not trusting him completely, he is drunk, and he looks like he is trying to hide his anger. "Us," he answers sinisterly.

"What about us?" I ask, wondering what game he is playing. Jose is always playing mind games. "Ana, I know you are unhappy. Do you want to leave me? If you tell me now, I will let you walk past me and not chase after you." My mind rapidly plays ever different scenario, if I tell him I want to end this, he will snap. I have been with Jose long enough to know he is never going to let me walk away from him. Instead, I lie, needing to stay alive, needing to keep Mason alive as well. "No," I smile, trying to preserve my own life. "Okay," he smiles sweetly "Then can you explain, why Leila, called me in a panic saying you were going to make a run for it." _Fucking Lelia!_ My eyes snap to the clock, I mutter, staring into his eyes batting my eyelashes, "I really do need to get to work, Jose, unless you are going to drive me. I don't want to be late! I will be home later, I promise, and we can discuss whatever you want to talk about."

"Okay, I was thinking, maybe this weekend we could get away. Have a good shift" He smiles, he reaches for hand, tugging it out of my back pocket with the ring still attached to my finger, my heart beats out of my chest. He kisses the back of my hand, I answer, "Sounds good," lying through my teeth having no intention of being here this weekend. His mouth pulls away from my hand, he looks pissed off. His mood shifting from happy to angry at the flip of a coin. "What the fuck is this?" He asks, grabbing ahold of my hand, ripping the ring off of my finger. "Something that a patient gave me." I lie to him. Leila appears behind him in the screen door, smirking suddenly, "It's Grey's mother's wedding band." Jose's fist clenches shut, turning white, he yells, "I knew you were a lying bitch, and you were fucking Grey!" Lelia's footsteps can be heard moving down the sidewalk, whistling a happy tune.

"I'm not fucking Grey! I swear!" I cry. Jose shakes his head, yelling, "Then why did he give you his mother's wedding band?" I shrug my shoulders. Jose screams "Ana, you are ungrateful and good for nothing." He grips my arm roughly, I attempt to reassure him, nothing is happening between Grey and I. Jose throws me down roughly onto the floor, tossing the ring at me, he asks, whispering into my ear, leaning over me, "Was I not paying enough attention to you? Was I not being nice enough to you? I thought we were starting over, Ana? Do you like me being mean to you all the time? I gave you a chance for an out, why didn't you take it?"

"No, Jose, I'm sorry, I don't like it when you are mean. Nothing happened between Grey and I. I will never talk to Grey again if it will make you happy." I cry. Jose draws a gun from the side of his pants, holding it to my head, he says in a low steady voice, "I should end your life. You are nothing, but a waste of space and time."

"No, please Jose, I promise, I won't make you upset again." He shakes his head angrily, saying, "Your apology is too late, Ana. It is time for you to learn a lesson, for real this time. You are going to call Grey and tell him it is over. Whatever has been going on between the two of you." He hands me my cellphone from my purse, with the gun pointed at my head, "Call him Ana, end it now, or I will find Mason to kill him in front of you, maybe that will get you to cooperate." My heart beats out of my chest. Christian picks up immediately, his voice is light, "Ana banana, I'm counting down the hours until-" I stop him midsentence. "I can't," I whisper, not going into further detail. "What do you mean, you can't?" He asks urgently.

"I can't," I say, trying to stay strong, not able to break down like I want to. Freedom was so close, and now it is slipping through my fingers because of Lelia and Jose once again. "Ana, something is wrong. What is it? Is it Jose?" God, I wish we had come up with a code word or something, in case something went wrong. "No," I quickly respond to him. "I'm coming over there now. I know something is wrong. Your voice sounds off to me."

"No, stay there, I wasn't sure how to tell you this, but I don't want to leave Jose to be with you. You see, he really isn't that bad of a guy. He has been really great to me lately. When we met all those months ago, we were going through a rough patch, I'm sorry if I led you on, I wasn't trying to. You should be with Lelia. You have a baby on the way."

"Ana, are you trying to break up with me?" Christian asks. Tears burn my eyes, I answer, "There is no break-up, Christian, there was never an us. I don't know why you ever gave me that ring."

"I gave you that ring because I love you, Ana," Christian mutters, his voice breaking, my heart sinks hearing his words, hearing the pain in his voice. Jose's face turns red with anger, he presses the gun harder into my temple. "Well, I don't love you, I'm sorry. Goodbye Christian." I whisper the tears crest down my face. "Ana-" He says urgently as I hang up the phone on him, hoping he will figure out something is wrong with me. Jose's thumb smooths my tears away, he puts his gun away, mumbling, "Good girl." Instead of walking away like normal after our arguments, he rounds on me, smacking me in the face. It stings. He doesn't stop after one hit, he hits me time after time, throwing me around like a rag doll. I try not to show him any emotion, knowing any emotion I show him will only fuel his anger towards me at this moment, having been through similar situations with him. Instead, I try to dissociate from the situation, but the pain becomes too much to bear as he throws my body to the floor once again, and I lose consciousness.

Pain: is all I feel everywhere, waking to dried blood coming from my nose. My eyes are puffy, black, and blue. I have Jose's handprints all over my body. My nose feels broken, and it hurts to breathe. My ribs must be broken. My eyes hurt, they are swollen almost shut. I wish I could die, or Jose had killed me this time.

"Help!" I croak. It hurts to move as I crawl to the door, my fingers find the door handle, tug, but it won't open. He locked me in my bedroom. No one is going to come to help me. People can be heard yelling and throwing objects violently downstairs. Gathering as much strength as I can, I yell, "Help!" Hoping someone will rescue me. Suddenly, a ruckus can be heard outside my bedroom door. Someone tries the handle, but it doesn't move. "Ana?" A male voice yells. I shake my head, unable to speak anymore. "Stay away from the door," I try to pull my body away from the door, barely moving. "I'm coming in." Christian's body slams through the door, his face violent with rage, fresh bruises dotting his jaw, his knuckles bloody. His eyes fall onto me on the ground where I am laying, his eyes soften immediately, he whispers, moving my hair from my face, "I knew something was wrong, and you would never have retracted your offer to run away with me unless something happened with Jose." Quickly, he walks over to me, scoops me gently into his arms, cradling me against his chest, whispering, "What the hell, happened, Ana? Did Jose do this to you?" I don't answer him. It hurts too much to breathe, little alone speak to him. Christian speaks confidently, "I know it was Jose, he will pay for this with his life. You are safe. Let me bring you somewhere to get help. We need to report this."

Fear shakes my body, "No, we can't report his. You work with Jose, you know what he is capable of." I tearfully mutter, fearful of the terrible things Jose can do, and what he would do if I did report him to the police. Christian sternly answers, "Ana, he needs to go to jail, even if it is for a short time. No man should ever lay hands on a woman no matter what. If he beat you this badly this time, next time, he may kill you."

"I can't Christian. I have nowhere to go, I can barely move, and even if I did report him, it will do no good. Jose has connections. How do you think he hasn't ended up in jail yet? Why do you think you are working on trying to take him down instead of something useful with your time. I need to protect Mason, he will kill him, and make me watch as he does it. It was a stupid fantasy to think I could run away with you. I have nowhere to live or go." I whisper the tears flow from my eyes, thinking about Mason dying in front of my eyes.

"Live with me at the hotel in Sausalito. I'm not going to allow you to stay here with a monster like Jose. We can't run away from California to start a life together as I planned to the East Coast to where I'm actually stationed. We will have to wait until you are feeling better, and can breathe to do that. We can take down Jose together. I can't finish this mission without you. You know Jose better than anyone else, you know his movements. I have gathered enough evidence, I need help coming up with the final trap."

"Live with you? I'm not going to live with you, Christian. I barely know you. You could be a serial killer for all I know." I answer seriously. Christian smirks, "I'm not a serial killer, although, I am pretty good with a gun. If I'm a serial killer, your ex-boyfriend must be a saint, up for sainthood." A giggle erupts from my throat. My sides hurt from the laughter. "That's not funny. Take me to the hospital, I will think about living with you if you will stop talking, and help me up?" Christian has me in his arms before my sentence is even finished, carrying me to his car. His lips touch the crown of my head, whispering, "You are going to live with me, there is no way in hell, I am letting you go back to live in this situation with Jose." I wince from the pain evident in my ribs, he quickly runs to his side of the car, then speeds to the hospital.

Once we get to the hospital, Grace hovers, asking a million questions, a look of shock evident on her face, when she sees Christian carrying me through the ER doors. Once in the ER, I become embarrassed, having to face co-workers, and I think about telling a lie, something about falling downstairs, from tripping over my own two feet when Grace asks what happened. As soon as I begin to, I see Christian's face harden, a look of disappointment begin to etch on his brow, I take a deep breath and begin at the beginning of my story. I tell everyone who asks about Jose, all about his physical, verbal, and emotional abuse I have had to endure throughout the years. The police officer, who takes my statement, tells me they will issue a warrant for Jose's arrest. She asks before leaving, "Do you have somewhere safe to stay while he is taken into custody?" Glancing at my toes, I reply, "No," feeling ashamed for letting Jose treat me the way he did for as long as he did. Shame and guilt eat at my chest for not being strong enough to not handle Jose on my own, without someone else's help.

Christian touches my shoulder, I jump away from his touch, "Yes, you do. We talked about you, staying with me at the hotel in Sausalito, remember?" The cop looks at me, a questioning look on her face, making sure I am making this decision, not Christian. I nod my head at her, wondering if I am crazy for going to live with him. _Maybe I should go stay in a shelter and hope that Jose doesn't find me._

The x-ray results come back, and the doctors determine I have four broken ribs thanks to Jose with a broken nose. The doctor prescribes me pain medication, then gives me a pamphlet to a clinic that deals with counseling for victims of domestic abuse, locally. I thank her when she discharges me from the hospital. I begin to feel drowsy from the pain medication and the mental exhaustion from the day as Christian carries me out of the ER, he whispers quietly to Grace who says, "Don't worry Christian, I will find coverage for all her days until Jose is behind bars. Don't let her return until she is feeling better and Jose is off the streets." He whispers, "Don't worry, I won't. Thanks, mom for all your help today." His arms wrap around me protectively, my head leans against his solid, muscular chest, my eyes flutter closed, as he places me into the front seat of his car.

 **Thoughts and Opinions? Are you all happy now that Ana has finally escaped, unfortunately, she didn't escape untouched by Jose. Are you all happy that now she is going to living with Christian in the hotel to come up with a final plan to trap Jose? Would you have gone to live with Christian if you were in Ana's shoes? The next update will be in the month of March sometime.**


End file.
